Dusters
by AugustinianFrog
Summary: In the area that was once New York City, several factions fight an all out war, oblivious to a rising terror growing under its streets. Caught in the middle is a dysfunctional band of regulators crazy enough to do something about it. R&R. Finished!
1. Chapter 1

**…_Duster__…_**

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"_And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea..." Revelation 21:1, written in the Christian Bible_

_ "Surely they think it to be far off, and We see it nigh: on the day when the heaven shall be as molten copper, and the mountains shall be as tufts of wool, and friend shall not ask of friend (though) they shall be made to see each other..." Sura 70:6-11, from the words of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him_

_ "Repent one day before your death..." Avot 2:10, from the writings of the Talmud_

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_

They say that one day, some two centuries ago, the bombs fell. Perhaps for a moment, there was no dark side of the planet as us humans purged ourselves in a cleansing brilliance that lasted two hours. Two hours, one hundred and twenty minutes. In the wake of this nuclear holocaust was ash. Ashes and dust.

Humans should have disappeared that day. Because of our wickedness, our bent towards destruction, we should have been washed away in that nuclear flood. However, out of fate, bloody luck or some act of divine mercy, we found some semblance of salvation.

It came at a steep cost.

A whole planet set back beyond zero. A race that nearly destroyed itself in violence learned nothing but instead persisted in that violence. Blood once again splashed on the radioactive sands on the face of an earth permanently scarred, permanently changed from a global atomic blast.

And two hundred years later, nothing has changed. Blood still stains the ground and cries out for justice. The few good souls are persecuted, the wicked who live by the sword die by the sword but not soon enough, and life still remains a daily struggle. Hell touched earth for a moment and scorched it, the demons have been holding out here for two hundred years.

But perhaps there are still some angels out there. Somewhere.

Somewhere out there in this dust, the dust that clings to us, the dust that we all return to.

Their wings move to sweep through the endless grime, a world awash in filth that it dirties their wings and drive them mad and yet some endless tug of the divine causes them to numbly carry on. Perhaps with a beat of their wings they blow just a little bit off and find some tiny shard of a precious jewel and yet there is still so much of this grime, so much of this dust.

Somewhere out there, in the sand that blows in the wind, you'll see them, their wings trying to brush away the stains.

Dusters.


	2. Chapter 2

Most people probably do not know the name of the city anymore, despite its endless miles of concrete, broken buildings and roads. The residents here are more concerned with trying to stay alive. Of course, that occasionally means ending someone else's life. In the wastelands it's a general rule of thumb that someone's good day of begotten items usually came at the expense of someone else's bad day.

And on this side street in what was once New York City, a gang of raiders loitered around their makeshift bastion, waiting to give someone a bad day.

A raider gang leader stood outside a broken building, its entrance flanked by hastily erected barricades. He stroked his Chinese assault rifle for a moment, savoring the heat of the day as he looked down the narrow street. His cronies also milled about. However, he was starting to get impatient.

"Bella, you see anything up there?" the raider shouted up to a young if weathered woman handling a sniper rifle three stories above him. Bella sighed in exasperation, that man demanded a lot.

"Not a single thing, Chief, and if you keep yelling like that, you'll scare them all away." Bella shouted back.

Back on the ground, Chief grumbled and shook his head before looking back discontentedly at the empty alley. His second in command, Buck, quietly stepped up to him.

"Hey, calm down Chief. We can go another day without a hit, it's not like we're low on anything. Besides, I'm not too keen on another toy for Jaws to go walking by our way. I've seen a lot of things running with other gangs but after what Jaws did to that last sap we captured, I think I'll be getting a whole new set of nightmares." Buck muttered. They both looked up on the second floor to see Jaws walk past one of the windows, idly warming up the chain blades on his Ripper.

"I'm just so bored. I need to see some blood." Chief complained, lighting up a cigarette.

And just at that moment, a single figure wearing a long, olive green coat stumbled into the alley.

"Looks like you'll get your wish." Buck murmured with a subtle but sadistic grin, his rotted teeth gleaming with the promise of much wanted torture to come.

Chief had a few early misgivings. He recognized that olive green coat; it was the uniform of the Regulators, the self appointed law bringers and vigilantes in the wastes. You never saw them alone, they usually traveled in teams. Of course, Bella never missed a thing from her perch and it really did look like this guy was alone.

"Hey, you! Buddy, there's a fee for passing through here." Chief yelled, taking a few steps towards the regulator. The man did not even seem armed. The man looked up, his amber hair matching with his trimmed goatee and soul patch. He too had a lit cigarette hanging in his mouth.

"Really? I thought this was a toll free road."

"Oh no there, wise guy. It'll cost you something." Chief retorted, pulling the cocking mechanism on his rifle. Inside the building, the wayward regulator could hear the sniggering of a dozen or so raiders laughing at his impending demise. He nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I don't have much in the way of caps but I have a few things that might be useful to you." And with that, the enforcer suavely revealed the underside of his coat on both his sides, showing an amazing array of knives and daggers.

"Hmm, it'll cost you a little more than just that." Chief taunted, aiming down his iron sights now.

"Oh? How much more cause that's all I'm willing to show you." The enforcer shrugged.

"You can show me your spleen in all its red juices!" Jaws yelled from the second floor. More laughter from the raiders lurking in the building. The enforcer raise both hands now as if to signal he wanted a little more time.

"Whoa now, if you're going to have that attitude…I think you've seen enough." And with that, he abruptly became translucent, almost invisible.

"He's got a stealth boy! Bella, get a fix on him." Chief yelled. All he heard in response was a harsh whistle followed by a metallic clang. Chief then saw Bella's rifle fall from the window shortly followed by her body. Her head was missing.

And then all at once everything happened.

The unmistakable whine of a minigun warming up hit his ears when he saw a larger enforcer, a walking mountain of a man, casually strolling up the street, a blizzard of bullets spraying from his gun.

"You bastards, take that gunner out!" Chief yelled at the raiders in the building, all of whom started firing from the windows only to draw the wrath of the minigun.

Buck who was taking careful aim on the new enforcer with his bolt action rifle was finally able to line up the iron sights. He grinned for a moment, savoring the rush just before he heard a muffled pop. A bullet from a silenced 10mm gun had lodged in the back of his head.

On the second floor, Jaws watched a raider named Potato grab his preferred weapon, several armed grenades. Potato managed to evade the flying bullets from the minigun and cocked his arm back to throw the lethal ordnance at the black skinned enforcer with the heavy weapon. Just before the grenade left his hand, Jaws suddenly saw Potato's head leap off his neck and stick to the ceiling above, a large metal bolt holding it there. The armed grenade rolled to the bottom floor and went off, followed by several agonizing screams of his comrades below.

To make matters worse, he suddenly heard the roar of a flamethrower downstairs. Another enforcer had gone through the backdoor and was unleashing literal hell down there. The formerly blood thirst raider cowered as close as he could to the building wall away from the windows. He suddenly felt the wall behind him give way.

He had just one second to realize another metal bolt had blasted through the wall and bored through his heart.

Outside, Chief suddenly realized he was alone, the screams and flashes of fire inside the building had gone silent and nothing seemed to be firing from the upstairs floors on the large enforcer.

And before he could do anything, the first enforcer with all the knives suddenly appeared before him right in his face. His shock registered just as he felt the enforcer stab two knives into his chest, one from each of his hands. Chief fell flat on his back.

A few moments later, his vision swimming, Chief woke out of the black and saw the larger enforcer prepping another belt of ammo into his gun. Nearby, another enforcer took off his blast mask, having just finished using his flamethrower. Too late Chief felt something messing with his hand.

Chief screamed as he felt his trigger finger leave its place, forever separated from him. He looked up to find the first enforcer standing over him, a blooded dagger in one hand, a silenced pistol hanging from his hip. And there in his hand was Chief's disembodied finger.

And then yet a final enforcer appeared over him, this one wearing a brimmed hat and shaded glasses with his olive duster coat. Instead of bullets on his ammo belt, he saw polished metal spikes.

"Normally you're suppose to make sure they're dead before you do that." The one with the hat and glasses reprimanded the first enforcer.

"Really? He's still alive? I must have gotten excited and missed that."

"Well, yeah." The one with the hat said, pulling out a sleek, foot long blade from his coat and pointing at the two knives lodged on either side of Chief's chest.

"You stabbed too high, missed his lungs. That's still a sloppy way to do it."

"Fine, you want the honor?" the first said with a shrug. The one with the hat and glasses knelt down on a knee to speak to Chief directly. Chief was more transfixed with the man's single edged blade that ended in a surgical point.

"You tell me, because you're not worth the spike, laser blast or buckshot I got on me to end you and I don't feel like dirtying my blade." The enforcer told him. Chief just stuttered nervous fright.

"Tell you what, I just noticed inside there that you got a safe. We could use some of the ill begotten gains you might have in there. However, I also noticed there's a trip wire right in front of it. You put that safe right in plain sight from the entrance so that any fool would stumble right to it. Also, judging from a particular unique stench of death in there, I gather that trip wire connects to several hundred pounds of rotting Brahmin corpse. That's quite a lot of effort to put into a trap, almost like you were trying to make a statement." The enforcer with the hat told him, sheathing his sword and roughly dragging Chief to his feet.

"I'd say that's a lot of bull." And Chief was unceremoniously rough handled and forcefully shoved through the doorway.

The two enforcers sidestepped just in time to avoid Chief's corpse fly back out the doorway as quickly as it had entered.

--

Somewhere north of the city, the four enforcers marched back through the barren landscape, the trees long since gone in the atomic flood that swept the land two hundred years ago. The sun had set some time ago and now the moon's light was beginning to stand vigil over them.

"You doing okay back there, Carl?" the enforcer with all the knives asked the mountainous one with the minigun. He was weighed down with the most equipment.

"Doing just fine, Adam." Carl replied. Of course, Carl wondered why he, in addition to carrying his minigun and all its ammo, had to carry the bulk of the requisitioned weapons they got from the raiders while Adam was stuck carrying all the caps and fingers.

"Less chatter, more walk. The sooner we get back to the vault, the better I'll feel." The enforcer with the glasses and hat stated. He had stashed away most of the substances, medicines and spare parts.

"Do you ever calm down, James?" Adam retorted.

"Yes, when I'm in the vault." James replied, squinting through the dark.

"Haha, I can't wait to play with all this new stuff." The last enforcer announced, the one with the heavier armor under his coat, flamethrower and blast helmet. He had ironically stashed away any unexploded explosives.

"Sven, did you take any radioactive materials with you this time?" James asked unenthusiastically.

"Unfortunately no." Sven replied.

"Well you don't need any more of it. You glow enough as it is." James replied.

"But being bright is a good thing." Sven shrugged.

"Not when it gives away your position." Adam replied. Sven shot him a quizzical look.

"Since when did my job ever give you the impression it had anything to do with your line of work called 'stealth?'" Sven asked. Everyone else sighed.

And just over the ridge, the men could see the cavernous entrance to their vault, its face carved into the nearby hillside.

"Well, all in all, I'd say it was a good day." Adam smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Say little and do much." Avot 1:15, From the writings of the Talmud_

"_By the declining day, man is a state of loss, save those who believe and do good works, and exhort another to truth and exhort one another to endurance." Sura 103, from the respect Qur'an_

"_For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not __work__, neither shall he __eat__." Second letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 3:10_

_

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_

Adam stroked his goatee a moment before getting back to cleaning his submachine gun. It was one of the generic ones, nothing flashy about it. He usually kept it hidden under his coat, close to his hip. He normally did not like to use it as it was noisy but it was a good weapon if he ever got cornered. Just pull the trigger and spray a lot of lead.

In fact, there was a lot of things about this vault that was noisy, the constant engines and machines humming, the sounds of footsteps landing, even the doors that opened were noisy. Gosh, he hated noise. Of course, he did not need to be silent in this place and the noise would have helped him sneak around.

Finding a working vault was quite a catch. Their lives were made a good deal better with this place. Besides the comfort it offered in the form of sanitation and lighting, it also provided security. There's nothing like knowing you can seal the place shut under several feet of metal and only you and your buddies knew the password to open it.

Furthermore, the fusion reactors that powered the place were designed to run forever. They even powered the generators that James used to recharge his fusion power cells and the workshops gave the equipment they all used to repair whatever it was they needed. It even came with its own bullet press.

And most important, other than the medical lab that James used to synthesize medicines, was the water filtration plant.

If it wasn't for their bloody job, they would have little reason to leave this place.

Adam had been appointed the leader of this small squad. Somewhere up the Hudson in a small shack was the headquarters of the Enforcers for the region, at least the scant settled areas they knew of in the region. The leader of the Enforcers charter there, a guy named Francis, had assembled Adam, James, Sven and Carl and told them to go spearhead a presence into New York City.

Finding this vault was more than instrumental in making sure they had stayed. Of course, the flow of caps from the fingers they collected also insured that; at least from Adam's perspective.

Meanwhile, Carl was in the mess area of the Vault having already finished maintaining his minigun. The only other weapon he regularly carried around was his trusty sledgehammer, which in fact was dearer to him than the gun, not that he could do without the gun.

However, when Carl was not taking care of the implements that kept him alive and put caps in his hands, he was fiddling with his other great passion: food. That stuff is kind of important to you when you're six foot four. He was the one that spent the most time trying to play with the ingredients they managed to scrounge both outside and inside the vault. Lately, he and James had been trying to figure out how to use the hydroponic produce from the greenhouse but their results usually ended up with mostly water and little plant matter. Seeds are especially hard to come by these days.

When all else fails, there's nothing a little Brahmin steak, Instamash and mutfruit can't fix.

Up in the medical ward, James was squinting over the numerous compounds and substances brewing. He was also in charge of making sure the water filtration system worked. The man popped a pill of mentats before looking around again.

Medical care was of utmost importance out in the waste. Psycho, a fear suppressor and adrenaline booster, was heavily needed by those who often found themselves in bad situations and each man on the team carried at least one vial on them on the missions. Buffout was for the saps who couldn't grow muscles the old fashion way, Med-X always came in useful just before a firefight or after getting hit a few times, stimpacks were worth more than bullets and mentats, well, James thought they were very useful.

And of course, a detox compound was probably better for you than another dose of the drug to give you a quick fix. It of course, also required a little more time and energy.

And when he was not laboriously making sure all the substances they needed were properly organized and stored, the ones they did not need were neatly separated into a pile to sell to the traders, and when he was not boiling more essential medicines, he was meticulously taking care of his equipment.

At the heart of it all was his rail rifle, scrounged from the best parts he could find, he found a way to double the power of the fission battery by, how unoriginal, finding two, managing to channel their power into a single converter which then fired the metal spikes he personally forged, polished and tested. Add some rifling into the barrel and add a large scope and you had an excellent marksman weapon.

While James was the group medic and tinkerer, his tinkering and retrofitting skills were just below Sven's. When James was cooking up medicines, Sven was cooking up a different kind of substance. These compounds of his were a bit more volatile. In fact, no one else on the team dared set foot in his shop, only James dared approach the place and would only speak from outside the doorway.

"You would not happen to know where a fission battery and a few microfusion cells went to, would you?" James asked.

"I did swipe a few of those things from the generator downstairs to power a couple bombs. Why?" Sven asked, not looking up from filling a pipe with a strange powder.

"Please tell me you took from the pile that were starting to lose their ability to hold a charge." James muttered.

"Of course." Sven replied, carefully placing a cap on the pipe.

"Because those things are expense when they're still good. Much too valuable to be sent up in flames in an explosion." James added flatly.

"Not flames. 'Boom.' Of course, I could add flames with just a little bit of some wonderful goodness. You know, that's a good idea…" Sven grinned.

"Do you mean 'napalm' by 'wonderful goodness?'" James inquired.

"Hey, hey, you say 'bang' I say 'boom' and we both know that either word does not adequately describe the most wonderful noise known to man." Sven retorted, stacking up land mines. James winced each time the man reached for one, as if expecting one of them to go off.

"You know…I'll just…leave you to your work." James sputtered before walking off quickly.

So all told, Adam knew that he was in a good position. Sure, Carl was a simple man who had sight trouble, could only see motion that big man could. Yes, there was a reason they called him "Slightly Psychotic Sven" and of course, James was probably addicted to mentats. But then again, what other man could heft a minigun, run with it and still take out whole gangs of raiders without flinching like Carl could? Even if he was messed up in the head, Sven was probably the only guy in the wastes with enough coherency to cook up elaborate explosives and disarm others with an amazing efficiency. Furthermore, his insanity came in handy when he had to charge a hail of bullets with a giant can of flammables and explosives strapped to his back. Finally, so long as the mentats kept coming, James could take out any enemy with a single well placed headshot before anyone else on the team would have guessed that danger was out there and when they did get hurt, no one else knew how to better administer a stimpack. So yes, Adam was rather happy with this setup.

Perfect guy like him certainly made sure they didn't all blow each other up in a massive, man made atomic explosion of Sven's doing.


	4. Chapter 4

_The journey out of the forest begins with a first step. Nevermind the previous ones that got you lost in the first place_

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_In a dusty if well fortified shack overlooking the Hudson river, an older man with a full set of white hair sits with a permanent frown in the dim light. Most of the building was built with stone and pieces of debris found in the area. Much like himself, his Regulator duster is well worn, stained and beaten but still solid and tough. His trusty plasma rifle leans next to his desk. A life of enforcing the law in the depraved hell that is the wastes has built a surprising calm into him. It's one of the reasons he does not freak out when a man instantly appears before his desk. _

"_They say that over use of stealth boys can cause insanity." The old man grumbled._

"_Had to sneak past a bunch of giant radscorpions awhile back. Whole nest of them. I figured I'd kill them if you want me to after I bought off a bunch of grenades from the armory." The intruder replied nonchalantly, resting his legs on the man's desk. _

"_I'd rather you do that, Adam. There would be a few less dangers in this world if you blew them apart." _

"_Of course, we wouldn't have known about that danger and I would not have another assignment if you had not sent word for me to meet you. So what you call me all the way over here for, Francis?" Adam asked. _

"_After you finish that new scorpion problem, I have another assignment that I'm putting you in charge of." Francis muttered in his perpetual low and serious voice, taking a swig from a glass of particularly foul looking water. _

"_Really? How many caps to be had?" Adam asked as was his usual custom. _

"_Always thinking about money first. Truth be told, I don't know this time, Adam." Francis admitted. _

"_Then where is it?" _

"_South of here. I want you to go all the way down to what was New York City." Francis announced. _

"_The City? The Big Apple? You really think there are people there that need protecting?" Adam inquired. _

"_I don't think. I know. If there is one place left here where people are alive, it would be in the City." Francis explained. _

"_Yeah and from what I've seen, the larger the urban area the greater the warzone. Now I know I'm the best darn enforcer to walk the planet, but there ain't no way I'd survive down there." Adam replied. Francis rolled his eyes. _

"_Of course I know you're not bullet proof, though you act to be. That's why I assembled some others to give you hand. Believe it or not, they might even be better than you at a few things." Francis remarked sarcastically. _

"_Really? I'd doubt that." _

"_You'll see for yourself. First, there's Carl Thompson. You'd have to be blind to miss him. Big African American, stands over six feet tall and has arms the size of Brahmin. He wears metal armor under his duster and he carries a minigun. He's single handedly taken out whole gangs of raiders. When in the event he runs out of bullets, he pulls out his sledgehammer and starts pounding away. Personally, I'd be more afraid of his sledge than his gun." Francis started. _

"_Wow, seems like he's all I'll need." Adam said. _

"_He's got a few issues. He has some eye problems, don't know what it's called or what it is but he can only detect movement. Has a problem narrowing things down if it sits still." Francis cautioned. _

"_Never heard of a raider or mutie that stood still." Adam muttered. _

"_Regardless, he's not the only one. I also sent for a man named James Vanderbraun. The man wears a brimmed hat and shaded glasses. Thinks faster than a computer, has good senses too. Built his own rifle and is a darn good shot with it. He likes longer ranges, you'll know it's his work if you find a bunch of raiders with their heads shot off and stuck to trees and walls with metal spikes." Francis added. _

"_Sounds vicious." _

"_Nah, he's just good with a really powerful gun. Of course, at closer rangers he like to use a laser rifle. Enemy gets any closer and he's got a sawed off shotgun. If they managed to get past all of that, he's got a nice long blade that he's good at. He's also a skilled medic." _

"_Is there a thing he can't do?" _

"_Between you and me, I think he's addicted to mentats." _

"_Ah." _

"_And then there's Sven…can't pronounce his last name and I don't think he can either. We just call him 'Slightly Psycho Sven.'" _

"_Any particular reason?" Adam asked cautiously. _

"_Yeah. He's a little messed up in the head. Of course, you'd have to be a bit crazy to have no problem making the explosives and bombs he does." Francis explained. _

"_Well, as long as he doesn't blow himself up…" _

"_Hasn't done so yet, though his actions would suggest he's dying to do it. His favorite weapon is a flamethrower, wears a bunch of armor and heat resistant material under his duster. Even carries a special backpack covered in ballistic padding for his fuel tank. It's also where he keeps his other explosives. I've seen him carrying a shotgun as well." Francis murmured, racking his slightly burnt out brain. _

_"Hmmm…well, I'm sure I can find some use for them." Adam said thoughtfully. _

_"New York is liable to be a warzone. This won't be like the single hits you're used to where you can just sneak in and stab a guy." Francis warned. _

_"Hey, I use my SMG too, and my silenced pistol." Adam defended. _

_"And I'm sure you're good with them, you should have no problem with a bunch of scorpions. Just be careful." Francis concluded. _

_"Now what happens when I run into a problem that I don't know the answer to?" Adam asked. _

_"Are you actually practicing humility?" Francis inquired with mock shock. _

_"Har har, but seriously." He promptly found Francis dropping a book in his lap. _

_"Use that book, it should point you in the right direction." Adam raised an eyebrow as he read the title on the spine. _

_"Holy Bible. Right." Adam said, not sounding too convinced. And with that, Adam stepped up and was just about to walk outside the door when he ran right into James, Carl and Sven. _

_"Hey, you're the three guys I'm working with, right?" Adam greeted. The others just shrugged. _

_"If your name is Adam Anders, then yes." The one in front, James, replied. _

_"Good, I got to take care of a bug problem but we'll leave as soon as I get back. In the meantime, since you're the bright one, you memorize this book, we might need it later." Adam ordered, promptly shoving the Bible into James' hand before marching off. _

_"Oh, I'm one step ahead of you on that; my old mama made me memorize bits and pieces of the good book." Carl grinned. _


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: Oy vey, seems like I forgot something important. **What belongs to Bethesda render unto Bethesda.** The rest belongs to the spark of inspiration  
_

_Let's see how long I can attempt the impossible and keep this rated "T" before I got to bump it to an "M." That's nearly impossible with Fallout._

* * *

"_Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God loveth not transgressors." Sura 2:190, from the words of the most respected Qur'an_

"_In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man." Avot 2:5, from the Talmud_

"_Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love…" attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi_

_--  
_

Carl, Adam, Sven and James all watched with a bit of apprehension as the giant door of the vault lowered shut and sealed itself, locking them outside. Yes, there was the knowledge that they all knew the password on how to get back in and the terminal was right there before them, but it was duty that beckoned them beyond the door of the vault.

"Well…guess we're ready to go." Adam said quietly.

"Yep." James agreed. They all still stood there.

"Yeah, I'm going to miss the place." Carl added.

"Yeah, but we'll be back." Adam replied.

"Of course…but we're still standing here." James pointed out.

"Hey, you think I could go back and get another mini-nuke?" Sven asked.

"No!" the others said in unison.

"But I only have two in my pack." Sven complained.

"And that's more than enough." Adam replied.

"There's no such thing as too many mini nukes." Sven muttered.

"Believe me, there is. Ever heard of radiation poisoning?" James retorted.

"That's why they invented rad-away."

"And what happens when you get too many rads at once?" James asked rhetorically.

"Well that's why you never get on the receiving end of a mini nuke, all the more reason for me to get another one." Sven said.

"No. Now, we're leaving." Adam finished, finally getting his feet to turn himself around and find the door.

--

There is a surreal beauty to the empty streets and desolate buildings of modern New York. It is beautiful because it is quiet and the pale orange of the growing day sun casts a pleasant hue to all that it touches. There are even other shades and colors that speckle the streets and in a way, you can almost feel the whole city sleeping. The deception of it is that underneath the tranquility is the promise that all is not what it looks like, all is far from well. Behind that corner of the quiet block could be a bloodied death trap of armed men and dangerous mutants. Inside those serene buildings could be depraved feral ghouls lurking in the dark and in some places, those pleasant shades and colors is actually blood in various shades of fresh and dry.

Just another stroll down the Bronx to the rest of the city. God go with you.

"All right, so how about we take a stroll off the beaten path?" Adam suggested. No one answered.

"I don't want to do it anymore than you guys want to, but we have to make sure more areas are secured than just the one path we always go through. You never know what hideouts the raiders have made that we haven't seen." Adam continued.

"Ain't anyone here arguing against you, Adam." Carl replied, straightening the metal helmet on his head before positioning his minigun into a more comfortable grip.

"Just, no one here wants to agree with you either." James said.

"I'm glad all of you guys are all honor bound to duty." Adam answered sarcastically.

"Yeah, because you're just bound to the call of money." Sven answered, his voice distorted behind his blast mask.

"I will not even try to declare otherwise." Adam answered with a smirk.

"So how far off the beaten path do you want to go? We still need to make it to the House." Carl said.

"I've heard of a place called 'Harlem.' I figured we should try to stroll by there." Adam replied.

"I don't like the sound of that. Glad I brought the fat man." Sven murmured.

--

The four men clutched their weapons tightly as they walked down the barren streets. Apparently, they had found Harlem. Now they just needed to make sure that there wasn't anything scary to run into. In the event they ran into something scary, they then had to make sure that it got eliminated. The problem was making sure it got eliminated without getting wasted themselves. Adam took point, sneaking, keeping a low profile while all the time trying to make sure to spot anything that might be ahead. He knew that behind him James was probably doing the same with the scope on his rifle but you can only be ever so careful.

On the other side of the street, Carl walked stoically onward, his large gun perpetually aimed forward. Right behind him was Sven, using the man's bulk as a human shield and as a way to stay hidden. Should he ever hear the man warm up his minigun, he knew it would be time to dash out, avoid the line of fire while all the way firing off explosives and flammable chemicals.

"Guys, we're almost out of here, I can see the end of the block." Adam announced.

"Wait." James cautioned. Everyone in front of him stopped dead in their tracks.

"Don't move." The marksman continued. His comrades stood stock still while they watched him scan ahead with his scope over his rifle.

"What do you see?" Adam hissed.

"Certainly man made…wait…well, it wasn't men that made it, least they're not men anymore."

--

At the end of Harlem is a circle called Cathedral Parkway. The circular shape survived the atomic blast of the great war. Unfortunately, a gang of super mutants found the circular shape a natural fortress and erected the proper protection accordingly. Built up with large pieces of debris, metal and barbed wire, as well as several heavily armed super mutants and a master, there was no reason to attack it head on if you wanted to see another day.

Which would explain the current plan being hatched up by the four men.

A frontal assault down the entrance to the south would be suicidal, hands down. Blasting a hole into the northern wall would provide an excellent shock to the mutants and also give the four men direct access into the whole place and even divide up the mutants. The only problem was actually blasting the hole.

Sven coached Adam all too enthusiastically on the proper placement and detonation of explosives. Using one of his stealth boys, it would be Adam who would sneak up to the proper area, set up the explosives and then detonate them. The explosion would obviously throw them off, buying Adam and James the time to start picking off the first wave of mutants and covering Sven and Carl who would storm up and provide the bulk of the firepower.

And if something went wrong, just make sure you didn't die.

Under the veil of the stealth boy's influence, Adam quietly shouldered the burden of dozens of pipes and other impromptu containers, all of which Sven said "Should blast a big enough hole." If by "Big enough hole" Sven really meant "blast a crater in the ground," Adam wouldn't mind that. He did mind how heavy it was at the moment. Regardless, he was finally able to get to the hole. Now to place them carefully without any of the mutants noticing. Carefully, his muscle aching under the strain and starting to shake from the adrenaline rushing inside him, Adam struggled to place the explosive packages the proper lengths away from each other as Sven had instructed while trying to avoid the barbed wire and-

A mutant walked right by him. Adam let a mental curse snap through his mind.

_"Darn it, Adam, how did you not notice that? Did that mutie notice the packages suddenly materializing here? Keep walking, mutant, keep walking…" _Adam held his breath, all the while wondering if he should reach for his submachine gun. His arms were too full.

And the mutant kept walking.

_"Oh, thank God." _Nevermind that he took the same God's name in vain back there a couple times.

_"Last packaged placed, okay, now to get back a distance."_

Back where the buildings met the open space just before the circle, James waited behind the blasted wreck of a car, his rail rifle resting on the hood, glad for the overcast skies that minimized any chance of the light reflecting off his scope. What was taking Adam so long? Still, he made sure to constantly have a bead on that one mutant master with the large minigun. No need to have that mutant with the large gun around when the fire broke-

BOOOM!

James squeezed the trigger.

Adam wished he could have taken a picture of looks on the mutants' faces in the compound, completely bewildered to what happened. It was that moment that everything happened at once that they depended on so much. First the wall blows up and the apparent leader falls dead with a spike in his face.

And now, a safe distance away and ducked down under Carl's line of fire, Adam let his submachine gun rip. It was joined by the whine of Carl's minigun, blasting in controlled and steady bursts at these ranges. Right beside him was Sven, wisps of flames already peeking out of his flamer, ready to explode out at a moment's notice. Adam watched as the mutants, about eight of them, suddenly decided that Carl and Sven were the real threats and started lining up their fire on them while completely ignoring Adam still clothed in an invisible aura. He itched to sneak in and drive one of his many blades into one of their necks, his preferred method of death but he could not risk getting within the way of Carl's minigun while he was still translucent. In the meantime, it was his job lay down more fire.

He was impressed when a mutant that looked like it might have spotted him suddenly exploded his cranium out, a heavy metal bolt growing into the pillar behind him.

Sven and Carl were nearly up to the breech when Sven noticed something that dismayed him. The barbed wire was still up, it had survived the blast. Things could only be done right if you did them yourself. Ruing this fact, Sven steeled himself, clenched his eyes shut and fell onto the wire, letting the bulk of his padded and fire resistant armor absorb the barbs while Carl rushed over and into the fortress safely. There was a moment of tension while Sven got himself up but then it was back to business.

Oh, how he loved his business.

Two mutants were immediately bathed in flames, a glimpse into hell as Sven pulled the trigger on his flamer hard. That was a sight that just never got old, the heat and brilliance of a stream of pure, wonderful fire covering the whole area in front of him.

Sven was laughing hysterically.

Meanwhile, Carl brought down a constant blizzard of angry 5mm rounds on the bulk of the mutants, the angry metal bits tearing through unnatural flesh and spraying blood. It was not a pretty sight but a necessary one no less. Carl gritted his teeth and made sure to stand still, even when he was certain mutants had drawn a mark on him. You could not flinch with this gun, you just couldn't.

Sven watched the last of the mutants fleeing out of the entranceway. Sure, they probably saw humans as weak and obsolete, an evolutionary antique, but there was a bit in their brain that still told them when it was a better idea to move. There were two of them. What to do when they were out of the range of his flamethrower? Oh yes!

Reaching into one of the pockets of his duster, Sven fished out a grenade and gave it his best pitch. The landing and placement was perfect. The nearest mutant was immediately killed by the blast, the further one was injured and thrown off a bit. Any chance it had of fleeing was eliminated when the mutant was suddenly thrown to the ground by an invisible force. Adam's stealth boy field gave out just as he drove his two daggers into the mutant's neck.

"Everyone good? We got them all? Injuries anyone?" James asked, suddenly in the middle of the compound.

"I'm feeling good." Carl with a smile, which didn't do him much because James was thoroughly examining his coat and armor, making sure there weren't any new bullet holes. Sven and Adam also looked fine.

"All right, we unfortunately cannot collects caps on their fingers, so we find useful stuff in their dwelling places." Adam said.

"Right, check for crates and stuff." James agreed while Sven calmed down from his laughter, now down to chuckles.

James was just about to go look for stuff himself when Carl, popping open the door of the mutant's makeshift shack, stopped dead in his tracks.

"Uh…guys, I think you might want to look at this." Carl's uneasy, deep voice announced.


	6. Chapter 6

_People are people no matter where you go. Or how much radiation they absorbed, how many screws they got loose in their head, how many flaws they have or even how much explosives they got on them, willing or otherwise…_

_

* * *

  
_

Carl was not used to this, despite the many years he worked as an enforcer, much less spending his whole life in the wastes. That was why he had called the others while he stood in the shack doorway, his mouth ajar.

"Well, what is it?" James asked, poking his head into the doorway, avoiding the larger man's berth. He immediately saw it.

"Well, hello there. Seems like they had a captive." James observed. Sure enough, sulking in the corner of the shack was a young girl, bound hands and feet and whimpering away in the furthest part of the shack.

"Man, what are we going to do?" Carl asked.

"We'll probably find a place for her to stay at the House." Adam suggested.

"First, we got to cut her loose and I have to make sure she's not suffering from anything." James cautioned before pulling out his blade.

Anyone who had been around supermutants for a few days and lived to tell about it would understandably be a little bit jumpy. Weapons would probably make you flinch and a foot long, oversized combat knife that resembled more of a machete than a benignly called "blade" would probably be the last thing you wanted to see. The girl act accordingly and screamed.

What was uncharacteristic was the men screaming themselves.

And after a moment the enforcers caught themselves. Seems like they were a bit jumpy after wiping out a Mutant patrol that, apparently, the sudden shriek of an adolescent girl would elicit a mirror response.

After catching his breath, James walked over and knelt next to the young girl who was still struggling and throwing a tantrum, doing her best, bound as she was, to try and get away from him.

"Hey, look there sweetheart, we're the good guys and we'll let you go. There's no need to freak out like that." James said. The captive continued her blathering fit, whimpering and struggling. James looked up at the other three who shrugged in response.

"I need you to tell me if they hurt you or if you're feeling sick." James instructed. The girl did not even look at him and seemed to be trying to inch away.

"Fine, I'll let you go first but then you need to talk to me." And with that, the enforcer simply tapped the rope holding her arms together and the cords came apart as if by magic. James had always been proud of the edge and point he worked into that blade. Then the cords binding her feet came off.

The girl shot up and tried to flatten herself against the far wall, as far from the enforcers as she could.

"Doc, something tells me that this girl isn't in her right mind." Adam said.

"Nah, she's only frightened." James replied, an uncomfortable frown hanging on his face, as if he doubted what he just said.

"Can't she see that we're not bad by now?" Sven shrugged.

"I don't know, you still wearing that blast helmet and I'd think you're scarier than the mutants myself." Carl replied with only a touch of sarcasm. Sven tore off his helmet with exasperation.

"Seriously James, something don't seem right about her. You'd figure she'd at least tell us 'no' or 'get away' or even a 'help' but she's done nothing but whimper, scream and yell the whole while here." Adam commented, all the men still watching the frightened girl who had now given up and was staring back at them with wild eyes that flashed in the dim light.

"They say that fear can break the mind, I've heard stories of people who get broken by fright or trauma. Something really bad happens to them and they lose a part of themselves. She probably doesn't know how to talk anymore." James speculated before standing up and walking over to the girl. With the hands of a wasteland doctor who was used to operating on a flailing person, James lightly brushed the girl, making sure she otherwise was not physically harmed.

"Reflexes good-" when James did his best to knock a reflex from her knee, she did the sensible think and whacked him on the head.

"Least something is working up there, can't figure out anything internal that might be wrong, no enlarged organs or glands, spine is – holy crap…"

James' eyes suddenly went wide before he clasped both of her arms to keep her still while he quickly brushed her hair over her shoulder to reveal where her spine bisected her shoulder blades and became her neck.

"_That_ does not belong there." James sputtered. The other three men walked in to investigate.

Right above her skin was a strange metal cylinder about the size of a salt shaker that looked like it was embedded into her spine.

"Holy crap, that looks like it's actually built into her back. Is she a robot or something?" Adam asked.

"Does that look like an explosive to you, Sven?" James inquired, everyone but Carl ignoring the girl's wails and tears.

"Can't tell, looks too high tech for me." Sven admitted.

"Hey guys, we're scaring the girl." Carl said, the rest now ignoring him.

"Well, there's no way I can operate on that if I don't know what I'm looking at. I'm better at stopping bleeding than I am with surgery." James murmured.

"You're not suggesting that you take her with us, are you?" Adam demanded.

"Well, we can't just leave her out here." James retorted.

"Well…I'm not saying that…but, she could be a walking bomb!" Adam pointed out, both men stepping to the side to have their own discussion while Carl and Sven decided to calm the girl down.

"So? Sven's a walking atomic fire bomb and you have no problem hanging around him all the time." James grumbled.

"But she's out of her mind!"

"She's just frightened, besides, Sven's also out of his mind half the time." James shrugged.

"This is different, and you know it." Adam growled.

While the two strategist bickered, Carl was doing his best to try and get the girl to at least stop crying. This was met with mixed results. He tried smiling, try to find a way to tease a laugh out of her but still the tears flowed. At least she wasn't screaming but the whimpers still came out. What did kids like? Well, even adults liked having a comfortable object around. The big man looked around, he'd highly doubt super mutants keeping teddy bears around.

"Sven, you got a toy on you or anything shiny?" Carl asked. Sven thought for a moment before his face lit up. In a moment, he produced a sizable Zippo lighter. The gleam of the case reflected off of the girl's eyes and she at least became quiet. Carl smiled with the new found peace just in time to see Sven hit the switch on the lighter. The Zippo in turn produced a rather large ball of flame, effectively frightening the girl and bringing another fresh round of tears and wails. Carl shot Sven a dirty look before stroking his clean shaven chin. Now, he reached into his own pocket.

The girl looked up from hiding her eyes in her water soaked hands when she felt Carl's big hand poke her shoulder. Now, he was offering her a slice of the Salisbury steaks he had brought for the trip. She saw that he was smiling as he chewed the ancient meat all the while holding the other patty up to her. Cautiously, she slowly accepted the patty and took a small bite herself. Carl let out a small chuckle ripple from his friendly if dirt stained face. They were finally getting somewhere.

"Look, I'm not saying we should abandon her, but if that's too high tech for Sven, we don't know what we're looking at. We should take the proper precautions." Adam said, finally calming down. James matched his tone and demeanor before popping another mentat pill.

"Hmmm…we'll take her to the _Defiance_. They'll be able to do a more thorough scan there." James said. Adam groaned.

"Oh come on, they always give us a bloody hard time whenever we get there."

"Yeah, but you always manage to smooth talk them." James replied.

"Not after I cough up an arm and a leg." Adam grumbled.

"We'll find a way."

"And if she blows up and kills us all?" Adam demanded.

"Then you'll be dead and won't feel it." James shrugged.

"And what if I'm not dead and bleed out a slow and painful death?" Adam grumbled. James rolled his eyes and reached into his medicine bag.

"Take these, you'll die numb." James muttered, handing him a couple syringes filled with clear fluid.

--

Back on the streets heading towards their new destination, the four men were a bit hesitant on how the girl placed herself. Clearly, she was still afraid of them judging from the distance she lingered from them. Regardless, she still followed the enforcers so they understood that she trusted them at least a little bit.

"Well, so long as we don't get any dangers from the rear she should be fine." James murmured, comfortably carrying his rail rifle.

"As long as she does not get us into trouble or starts screaming when we have to fight…" Adam mumbled.

"We'll take care of that if the need arises." Carl said.

"I think we're going to have to give her a name." Sven suggested.

"Oh no, we're not naming her. You name it and then you start to grow attached to it." Adam argued. The others scowled at him.

"Well Sven, you got any ideas?" James asked.

"Uh. No." the demolition expert admitted.

"I said we're not naming her!" Adam asserted.

"How about Evelyn? I like that name." Carl suggested.

"Then Evelyn it is." James agreed.

"Oh no…" Adam groaned, placing a sweaty forehead on a grimy hand.

Evelyn was still timidly following them from a distance of twenty feet.

--

When the four regulators had first scouted through the city, they were shock to find that they were not the first group of outsiders sent to the City. During their initial reconnaissance just outside of the old financial district, they found one of the piers still housed an intact battle cruiser from before the war that had survived destruction. They were even more surprised to find it occupied by a band of Brothers of Steel soldiers. Technophiles.

The four regulators walked up to the dock, the imposing size of the cruiser, named _Defiance_, dominated the sight in front of them. Standing guard besides the walkway were two Brotherhood of Steel knights in their large power armor.

"You, wastelanders, leave this area. You have no business here." While Carl coaxed Evelyn to come up closer to them with another Salisbury steak patty, Adam marched right up to the guard.

"Knight Rufus, right? It's hard to tell you all apart with the helmets." Adam admitted. The electronic sigh from the knight gave the affirmation he needed. Adam sympathetically patted the soldier on his massive shoulder armor plate.

"Come on Rufy, we all know all that back there was a bunch of bull. Blow it out your back end the way it's suppose to go."

"Regardless Mister Anders, Star Paladin Tiberius has given specific orders not to let unauthorized personnel in without his approval. He mentioned to especially ignore you." Knight Rufus admitted.

"Please, call me 'Adam.' I hate my last name. Now as for Tiber, what's his problem anyway? Don't you guys want some technology we figured you guys would like?" Adam asked, hands open as if to offer a pile of invisible goods. The Brotherhood just could not turn down technology.

"Star Paladin Tiberius said that if tried to pull that stunt _again_, we were to confiscate the goods, if you actually had them, right here off ship and send you away." Rufus grumbled.

"Now look here, come closer, this is just now way to do business…" Adam mumbled, looking exasperated while motioning Rufus and his comrade to huddle in closer. Just when they were too close, Adam quickly reached behind their necks and pressed a small button that few people knew about. The two Brotherhood of Steel knights were suddenly locked in place with the exception of their helmets.

"Uh, Knight Rufus, I can't move." The other knight said.

"I've figured that out, Initiate. Adam, what in the bloody world did you do!?" Rufus demanded.

"There is such a thing as over-teched, suckers. Man, I've been dying so long to pull that 'emergency shutoff button' trick." Adam snickered, waving the others to follow him.

"Thank you." James murmured to the frustrated knights with a tip of his hat.

When the group reached the bow deck, they were immediately surrounded by a larger group of Brotherhood knights, all of them brandishing various rifles.

"Halt, do not move!" one of them ordered through his radio. Evelyn immediately started to cry. The regulators otherwise stopped but stood indifferently with the exception of Carl who was trying to comfort the frightened girl.

"Well, I got us on the ship. Your turn to think from here, James." Adam muttered. James popped another mentat. They heard heavy footsteps approaching.

"I swear, I'm getting tired of you four!" Star Paladin Tiberius roared, stomping up in his power suit.

"I'm telling you, it's your show from here, Doc." Adam whispered. James nodded.

"Now give me one good reason why I shouldn't blast the four of you where you stand?" Tiberius demanded. The Brotherhood of Steel leader was not the most pleasant looking man. Despite being clean shaven with a bald head, numerous scars crisscrossed his face and scalp. It was amazing both of his dull green eyes were still intact and most of the time the four regulators saw his mug, it was etched into a scowl.

"Because with all the explosives I'm carrying, you'd generate a bigger explosion than you were expecting?" Sven offered.

"Oh, you think you're funny? You're full of-" and before Tiberius could finish that sentence, James had snatched Evelyn and brought her up to the Star Paladin, hair brushed over her shoulder so he could point to the proper object embedded at the top of her spine.

"Tell me, does that look Enclave to you?" James demanded. Tiberius immediately toned his composure done and spoke to one of his lieutenants.

"Escort the girl to Scribe Kail in the med bay." Just before the knight could do anything about it, James' blade was bridging the gap between himself and Tiberius' jugular, the point just a hair's breadth from the Brotherhood knight's skin.

"She stays with us." James warned. Tiberius rolled his eyes with another scowl.

"Fine." The Star Paladin grumbled before storming off. Adam immediately marched up to James.

"What were you thinking!?" Adam hissed.

"Well, I figured they couldn't shoot us because even Tiberius understands Sven is a walking atomic bomb and heaven forbid he blow a crater on his cruiser's foredeck."

--

Scribe Kail was a refreshing breath of air compared to her superior, Star Paladin Tiberius. Decked in the long red robes of the Brotherhood of Steel scribes, she was a young woman with a very light brown hair that caressed her neck before hanging just above her shoulders. Compared to the elitism that was radiated from most Brotherhood of Steel members, Kail at least treated the regulators with some common humanity.

"So where did you pick up this beautiful little thing?" Kail asked, looking Evelyn over. Amazingly, Evelyn had calmed down to the point of meek cooperation, her big brown eyes constantly gazing up at Kail.

"Super Mutant captive. We found her just outside of old Harlem." Carl answered.

"Hello there, what's your name, dear?" Kail asked, bending down to ask the girl. Silence.

"She hasn't said a thing except whimper, cry and throw a fit since we picked her up. We decided to name her 'Evelyn' but from what we picked up, she does not talk. Perhaps it has something to do with that device stuck to her back." James informed.

"Interesting idea, did you also consider psychological trauma?" Kail asked while examining the alien device.

"Yes, that too." James admitted.

"All right, I'll ask you men to step outside while I continue the examination." Kail instructed, prompting the four men to step outside. Kail closed the heavy ship door with a gentle thud. Meanwhile, the four duster clad men stood outside in silence.

"Man, if I wasn't already involved with Leslie, I'd totally be hitting on her." Adam snickered. James shot him a look.

"Since when did you ever allow the involvement of one woman to stop you from getting involved with several more simultaneously?" James inquired.

"Since now. It thing I got something special going with Leslie."

"Oh."

"Why? You got a thing for her? Kail?" Adam asked motioning towards the sealed off room, mischief flashing in his eyes.

"No."

"Look me in the eye without your shades on and tell me that." Adam instructed.

"No." James muttered defiantly, popping yet another mentat.

"I don't doubt James' heterosexuality, but you might want to do something about that mentat addiction before you go chasing tail." Carl chuckled, giving James a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"I'm not addicted; I just need them to function." James grumbled.

"Dependency is an addiction by just another name." Sven said.

"I'm not dependant, these just make sure I spot the problem that might shoot our heads off before you guys do." James retorted.

"Admittance that you have a problem is the first step towards recovery." Sven chimed.

"Admittance that you have a problem is the first step towards taking another pill." James muttered.

That's when they heard rapping on the metal door.

"You may come back in." a voice told them.

Scribe Kail placed both her hands on Evelyn's shoulders before explaining everything to the men.

"Little Evelyn here is an otherwise healthy young adolescent girl, judging from her teeth I'd say she's anywhere from twelve to fifteen. She had a couple rads in her but nothing serious." Kail smiled.

"What about the device on the back of her neck?" Carl asked.

"I examined that. It's implanted into her spine and there's no way I would suggest we try to remove it in any way. It's not an explosive."

"So what is it?" James asked.

"I don't know and I would not risk examining it either. It's directly attached into her spinal cord. If we play with that we could permanently paralyze her from the neck down."

"How about why she can't talk?" Adam inquired.

"Don't know either, nothing physical I could figure out." Kail admitted.

"Possibly trauma then." James murmured.

"Can't imagine what kind of trauma would do that." Adam said.

"Adam, notice how she's been all calm with Kail? It would not surprise me that she's had her fair share of seeing blood, gore, hours of fear, supermutants, people being eaten and dying in the most twisted ways and if a raider squad found her at one point, I wouldn't be surprised if not a few of them had their way with her." James murmured to him.

"Yeah…they would do that those sick sons of-"

"Anyway, any idea where that component could have originated from?" James cut Adam off short, turning to Kail.

"Looks Enclave to me. I'll have to notify Star Paladin Tiberius about it. Otherwise, she's all yours." Kail smiled.

"Actually, I think it would be best if you all here could watch Evelyn. She'd be safer here with you guys than following us on the streets." James said carefully.

"Hmmm…I'll have to notify Start Paladin Tiberius about that as well…"

--

"Absolutely not! Does this look like an orphanage to you!?" Tiberius roared, peppering the statement with a string of curses to relay some kind of point. Kail had her hands clasped over Evelyn's ears while the regulators all sighed as if to try and hold onto their patience.

"Well, I don't think we're going to get any more out of you." James murmured. Tiberius cursed again.

"You think!?"

"How about a deal? Could you open your armory and we could trade stuff? I got some bombs I don't really need if it'll make you feel-"

"No! NOW GET OFF MY SHIP!" Tiberius cut Sven off.

"All right, all right, geez, you'll pop a vein or something." Adam grumbled, leading his squad and Evelyn out. As soon as they closed the door behind them, Kail looked at the Star Paladin.

"I have a question for you." Scribe Kail said with her arms crossed.

--

"Well, that was a short but typical visit to the _Defiance._" Adam murmured.

"Who wouldn't want my bombs?" Sven grumbled, replacing his blast helmet back on his head.

"It's okay Sven, we know you make very good explosives." James said.

"Hey guys! Wait!" they heard a voice calling to them. Kail was running up to them, a bag slung over her shoulder and her robes suggested that she was wearing some kind of body armor under the fabric.

"I'm coming with you guys. I've been trying to convince Tiberius on a project on observing how the wastelanders utilize technology. I also told him this would be a good way to keep an extra eye out for further Enclave intrusions." Kail announced.


	7. Chapter 7

"_Lord have mercy on my enemies, cause I sure as hell won't." _

_Attributed to General George Patton_

_

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_

Scribe Kail could tell that the regulators were in a hurry. The sun was already declining on its lower arc across the sky and once again the harsh light was starting to turn into a paler orange. Night would soon descend on them. Kail gathered that the regulators did not like being out at night. She could not blame them.

"Hey, Scribe. You got a firearm on you? You might need it if you're going to hang out with us." Sven suddenly said.

"I have a sawed off shotgun." James offered.

"No thanks, I'm covered." Kail answered, reaching into her robes to pull out a decent looking plasma pistol. Adam whistled.

"Wow, plasma weapon. James, you probably thought you were all cool with your homemade rifle and laser weapon. The girl's packing a lot of heat." Adam joked.

"You might need more than just one." James muttered.

"I brought two." Kail replied.

"Well, let's hope you won't be needing them anytime soon." Carl said as they were crossing a street. Suddenly a shot rang out and the ancient concrete of the building to their side suddenly earned a new pock mark.

"Nevermind." Carl said, warming up his minigun. Before Evelyn could start making a fuss, Kail swept her to her side and pulled the girl towards an abandoned car to hide behind.

"Keep an eye on her, stay out of sight." James ordered before looking through the scope on his rifle.

"What do we got?" Adam asked.

"Raiders, block down from here." James replied.

"Oooh, this is going to be fun." Sven cackled, rushing ahead before taking refuge behind cover.

"Carl, keep them pinned down." Adam ordered, joining Sven's lead.

"No problem." Carl replied, slowly strolling forward with the minigun screaming away. Rushing up beside him, James returned his rail rifle on his back and pulled his laser rifle that was strapped to his medical bag that hung on his shoulder. Any raiders that were crazy enough to keep their head up and avoid the hail of bullets from the minigun then had to dodge angry trails of red screaming at them.

Adam crouched behind an ancient mail drop box. parallel from him across the street, Sven was hiding behind the ruins of a car. Both taking turns glancing at what was behind them, they noticed the raiders on the right side of the street were being cut down by the minigun and laser blasts. About four other raiders decided it would be smart to head for the left and find cover behind a large truck that had flipped on its side. This was going to get more difficult.

Sven had other ideas.

The explosives expert signaled to the others not to advance any further. Instead, he pulled the modified fat man that was slung over his shoulder next to his backpack. Sven had worked long and hard on this particular weapon for the sake of economy. A missile launcher and fat man were relatively similar so why not find a way to make a single implement fire both? This involved hooking up some wires and reinforcing the fat man's launch plate with reinforced slabs, allowing it to withstand the launch of a missile. This of course also meant he had to soup up the launch mechanism to handle the added weight of the new launch plate but all in all, other than the mess of wires sticking out, he got what he wanted.

A small chuckle coming from his lips, Sven loaded up the missile, looked up over the car and fired. A trail of smoke barreled in front of him and the four enforcers watched as the projectile slammed into the truck.

A small atomic cloud exploded in front of them.

Carl and James rushed up to join Adam and a manically cackling Sven. Sven was having the time of his life. The other three could not help but gape at what they saw. Besides, they knew they had to wait a bit for the radiation to dissipate before they could approach the area.

"Well, all we'll need to do now is cut off their fingers." Adam said.

"You think we're going to be able to find their fingers?" Carl inquired.

--

Several barely intact but found fingers and a few more safely crossed city blocks and the regulators came to a quick halt at a square. Evelyn and Kail joined them in staring high at the top of the massive skyscraper in front of them. Like most other important holdouts in urban areas, the inhabitants of the building had erected a solid wall of concrete, steel and debris around the building and you could hear the armed guards talking within the barricade.

"Welcome to the House, at least that's what they call it these days." Adam informed.

"Why do they call it the House?" Kail asked.

"I don't know, a lot of people found this building and turned it into their home. It's a nice refuge so it's like their house." Adam shrugged.

"Makes sense I guess." Kail agreed.

"Though the plaque inside would suggest it used to have a different title back in the day." James informed.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Inside there's an inscription that says 'Empire State Building.'"

--

Inside the House the lighting fixtures came in various qualities ranging from "bright" to "dim" to "broken." It really depended on the quality of the generator that it was hooked up to and the squads of maintanence workers were grossly overworked with too many things needing to be fixed. At least the water was able to go as high as the inhabitants wanted it to. Otherwise, most of the building was furnished as well as anyone could make it in this day and age when nearly everything was of wasted material.

"All right, Kail, how about you take Evelyn and go three more floors up. That's where the common rooms are, you two will be able to find some place to rest. Carl, James, head to the View. Put an ear in and see if you can find any assignments. Sven." Adam looked at the demolition man before tossing the pyro all of the requisitioned equipment they had gotten off the raiders.

"Sell these." Adam ordered, despite Sven collapsing under the combined weight of all the weapons.

"Sure." Sven said with a ring of annoyance.

"Where will you be headed?" Carl asked Adam.

"I'm going to head over to the caravan department, see if I can have these mailed off to Francis." Adam answered, shaking the bag of cut off fingers.

"You go do that." Carl said before everyone left to fulfill their assigned tasks.

"What's the View?" Kail asked James as they continued down the same path.

"It's a restaurant-hang out place here in the House. Nearly everyone passed through there at some point in the day and it's an excellent place to eavesdrop." James explained.

"Eavesdrop?" Kail asked in disapproval.

"Well, most people don't know enough about us yet to ask us for help if they need any. Besides, most people won't ask you. You have to ask them but the only way to ask is to overhear them first." James shrugged.

"Oh."

Sven dragged the heavy bags, literally, down the halls until he was able to get to the Bazaar. The large area was bustling with activity as vendors haggled with their customers while junk and scraps almost seem to bounce back and forth. However, compared to how most goods got passed around these days, this was a glimpse into civility. At least everyone was consenting and no one was getting their heads shot off.

Sven, looking around, found a rather decent looking arms dealer and dragged the pile of weapons and equipment up to the man running the counter. The man, clean shaven save for a soul patch, nervously glanced at Sven and his large cache of equipment. Sven, meanwhile, trying to catch his breath, also pulled out a few grenades, pipe bombs and other samples of his homemade explosives.

"I got guns and I got bombs." Sven announced. The dealer continued to cautiously chew his cigar.

"Trade?" Sven shrugged, dropping the heavy bag of weapons on the dealer's counter. The man glanced at bag over, smiled and started counting out caps. A lot of caps.

--

Carl and James sat at one of the bar counters inside the view. A maze of tables with a few open spaces for people to congregate, the View was dominated by the rows of windows that looked out over the ruined city outside. If you could block out the knowledge that there were more than enough things out there that wanted to kill, maim, eat, rob and possibly rape you out there, though not necessarily in that order, it could be a calming and beautiful sight.

"Truth be told, James, I'm too tired to listen too hard." Carl admitted to the group doctor. James chuckled before accepting the glass of mostly purified water from the hostess.

"I hear you, Carl. I'm not doing much better." James informed, taking a quick sip of the water before popping another mentat.

Well, looks who's here." A soft but excited voice hit their ears. Another duster coat had swept up to the stool next to them.

"Leslie? What are you doing here?" James asked in shock.

Leslie had long black hair with brilliant blue eyes. She was also Adam's big squeeze. A fellow Regulator in the general Hudson area, Francis had sent her and another group down right after sending Adam. However, while Adam had been charged with taking care of New York City, Leslie and her squad was told to set a patrol that ran through the city and into former New Jersey.

"Patrol led us back here. How are you all doing?" Leslie asked.

"Exhausted. Busy day." James said.

"Really? I take Adam will be too tired to take me out on a date then." Leslie snickered.

"Oh, I'd doubt that. The thought of caps has a tendency to motivate him." Carl said.

"Yes, he's down at the caravan offices arranging to trade in our fingers. He should be back here shortly." Suddenly, the hairs on James' neck stood on end.

"Guys…" James whispered. The other regulators leaned in to listen to him.

"I don't know what it is, but there's something about the footsteps that just walked in that I don't like." Carl in response stole a glance at the doorway. He immediately looked back as Leslie and James.

"I don't know how you sensed that, man; but you're not going to like what I have to tell you." Carl hissed.

--

Adam was wearing his grin, the grin most of his friends told him went across his face when he was just about to make caps. Avarice may have been his sin but he liked to think that he made penance by wiping some slime off the face of the earth. Maybe in the next life he could negotiate for purgatory.

Regardless, the caravan office was like a primitive postal system. There were plenty of people who needed equipment or even letters sent places and the caravan men were already doing the dirty work of travelling out. Of course, the downside was that the postal system of post apocolypsia came with larger shipping fees. The mailmen would have wished the only things they had to run away from were dogs, not raiders, mutants and deathclaws.

"Hi, I'd like to get this bag mailed off to the Regulator Lodge, about two days walk up the Hudson. You can't miss it." Adam said. The weary eyed attendant just took it.

"We know the place. That'll be a hundred caps." The teller told him. Adam mumbled a complaint before dropping the proper amount.

No sooner had the regulator finish did he feel a hand land on his shoulder. Adam looked up to find himself staring at another duster clad individual.

"Adam, I'm glad to see you here."

"Mark? You're in town? Is Leslie with you?" Adam asked in pleasant shock. Mark was an adept regulator who liked his assault rifles. Mark was about his height and had about four days worth of stubble hanging on his face.

"Yes, but we got trouble." Mark hissed.

"What do you mean?" Adam asked in shock. Mark pointed to a package hanging on one of the shelves to be delivered there are the House.

"You recognize the seal on that box?" Mark demanded. Adam cursed.

"Talon Company."

--

None of the regulators knew when or where the feud between Talon Company and the Regulators sparked, they only were told that if they saw that infamous white talon symbol, shoot on sight. The problem with that directive was that there were numerous civilians standing in the way at the moment.

"You think they spotted us?" Leslie whispered. Carl grimaced.

"Yes." Carl admitted painfully.

"Well, we can't just sit here." Leslie sputtered.

"Yes we could. It would give me time to make up a plan." James said quietly.

"Plan what?" Leslie demanded.

"I'll never come up with it if you keep bothering me." James retorted. No sooner did he say that did he felt more than hear the cocking mechanism of a firearm click behind him.

"Great plan." Leslie grumbled. Suddenly, the whole bar was staring at the seven individuals, four Talon Company mercs and three regulators. The problem was that all the patrons had their own firearms trained on the mercenaries.

"If you're going to kill each other, no guns." The hostess scolded. The regulators and talons remained still, as if shocked by the turn of events. The moment was all the regulators needed.

Two of the Talons were steam rolled by the juggernaut that was Carl, simply running the two men down and slamming them onto a table in a noisy heap. The mercenary that pulled out a combat knife was set upon by Leslie, the woman armed with two brass knuckles and was surprisingly agile. That left James and the last talon staring at each other. James unsheathed his massive blade from within his coat. The talon responded by pulling out a Chinese long sword.

"Darn it, it's never easy." James complained before the two locked blades.

Leslie was doing well for herself. The mercenary could not even react as her fists broke through the pathetic excuses he put up as a defense. She was also very good on her feet, a few kicks and the man was sent sailing over a table.

"Don't worry, they won't be able to humiliate you about being beaten up by a girl. You're going to get mauled by a woman." Leslie shot before closing the distance.

James was too busy blocking the sword attacks from his opponent but a quick glance told him that Carl was quickly reducing the two talons into hamburger meat with his bare fists. Of course, when your fists are about the size of a melon, you wouldn't expect anything less.

"You're going to die, regulator." The talon sneered in his face, pinning James to the bar and leaning over him. James thought for a moment.

"I wouldn't expect otherwise. However, I'll outlive you." James growled.

"I don't know how you can see that." His opponent snarled.

"Because you never saw this!" James roared, slugging the talon with his free hand right across face. The talon staggered back trying to gather his marbles. It was the last thing he did before a blade thrust through his neck.

"Please be courteous to the cleanup crew and try not to bleed too much on the floor." James muttered before walking off. Carl looked like he had just finished his work while Leslie finally stopped raising her fists and slamming them down again. Her chest heaving, she looked up at Carl and James.

"Looks like we won." Leslie huffed, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"It could have been done better if I had a better plan of- Leslie, watch out!"

And before anyone could do anything, Leslie felt a flash of fire go through her chest. She stared in bewilderment at a knife hilt sticking out from her. Her world suddenly swirling around in confusion, she collapsed next to her opponent who had used his last breath to try and steal hers. James was immediately at the woman's side.

"Leslie, Leslie! Stay with me, can you talk? Does it hurt to breathe?" James asked, immediately fumbling into his medicine bag. The woman paled and simply nodded. Her lips were trembling.

"All right, hang on. We'll get you patched up. Carl, get out there and find Adam and Kail!" James ordered. Carl nodded before storming out of the room.

"J-James, if I don't make it- tell Adam, tell Adam that-"

"Don't talk like that Leslie, you're going to tell Adam yourself." James answered quickly, pulling out a stimpack.

"Tell Adam that-"

Leslie coughed blood.

--

Sven was just finished doing business when he noticed the dealer's eyes go up. Something was wrong and it was coming up behind him. Sven immediately steeled himself. He had good timing since he was immediately hit across the back of his head.

Sven staggered around, finding himself surrounded by three Talons. These men knew they could not go firing off in the House bazaar but a fatal beating can be finished quicker than most people knew. Sven meanwhile whipped out his shotgun.

"No weapons!" people yelled at him, once again bringing everything to a standstill. An awkward moment passed before Sven shrugged.

And in one motion, he ran his hand down to the end of the barrel and swung the weapon like a bat, catching all three of the mercenaries across the head. Before anyone could say anything, Sven was standing over the three mercenaries.

"Never hit a crazy guy."

--

It is a sight no man should ever live to see. Adam had been shot, stabbed and hit a little too hard a couple times in life, more than once for each. However, nothing hit him as hard as the sight that was before him. When one of your friends is covered in your girlfriend's blood while she lies gasping and fighting for breath, it has a tendency to knock the wind from you. Adam was immediately kneeling at her side.

"Leslie, Leslie honey, it's going to be all right." Adam sputtered, taking her blood soaked hand. James had already spent two stimpacks and a med-x. Now was going to come the hard part.

"James, what are you doing?" Adam blathered.

"Pay attention to her."

"Adam…Adam, I'm so sorry." Leslie gasped.

"Leslie, this isn't your fault."

"Yes, yes it-" Leslie stopped in a drowned gurgle just as James pulled the knife out of her chest. He immediately shoved a padded cloth over the wound.

"She's got a punctured lung. She's drowning in her own blood, what little she has left." James hissed.

"Can someone get a bloody doctor!?" Adam hollered, praying that some patron was smart enough to have thought of fetching one minutes ago. Adam didn't realize it but tears were already starting to fall down his face as he felt fear starting to constrict his neck.

"Leslie, stay with me." Adam moaned, placing his head next to hers.

"I love you, Adam…" Leslie whispered weakly into his ear.

Sven, Kail and Carl all immediately arrived on the scene.

"I need to something to close up her lung, I need several units of blood and I need to make sure this wound doesn't get infected. Kail, is there anything you have that could do any of that?" James demanded.

"No. I left all the good supplies are back on the _Defiance._" Kail said sadly.

"But you do have stuff on the _Defiance_?" James asked.

"Yes."

"All right. Kail, you see to her. Sven, you and I have to get back to the ship. Tonight." James ordered, standing up while simultaneously throwing off his ammo belts, blade and rifles. Sven started to mindlessly follow suit, throwing off his backpack, flamethrower and even his heavy laden duster.

"James, I may be a little crazy, but something tells me we don't have a lot of time and we have a lot of ground to cover." Sven cautioned.

"We're going to run and we're not going to be in our right minds." James replied and held up several syringes of Psycho.


	8. Chapter 8

It is nine thirty-four at night, and two men are running a marathon through the darkened streets. Their blood is laced with foreign chemicals, certain veins ache through repeated syringe punctures. Spent canisters of Jet periodically mark their trail. One is only armed with a blade, the other borrowing his sawed off shotgun. They have a long run ahead. They pray that the dangers that walk the streets will not notice them. They've lost their minds but the passion that drives their drug induced marathon is a forgotten principle and the love they have for their friends.

Its ten hours and eight minutes past midday and the evening is carrying on. A man's heart is breaking as his love struggles to take precious breaths to feed what little blood she has left. He stares into her frightened eyes and holds her hand tight. Her other hand struggles to caress his hair but he does not let her. She needs all the strength to hang on just a little longer. He needs just a few more minutes with her. Just a little bit more time. He cannot bear to tell her that her red blood covers blue lips. He hopes two runners in the night will make it. Her lungs cannot hold out and his heart may not either.

It is the final hours of the day and a scholar watches over a sad sight. She is used to seeing wounds of war, used to seeing broken limbs and lives needlessly flushed away. This goes onto that list that is too long to count. She rubs her hands nervously because there is nothing else to be done and the helplessness creeps like cold in her fingers. She hopes with the pair before her that two other insane men can make it in time. Her project to see what life is like beyond the polished halls of technology has illuminated more dark than her soul was prepared to see.

It is the twilight hours and several men are yelling in the night. A broken man with too many scars, too many bad memories, watches from his post as his soldiers hold off two unruly savages. Truth be told, humanity purged itself two centuries ago and he had long since lost his. How many lives had he lost under his command? How long ago did he lose his conscience? It does not matter now as his two knights have turned the deranged lunatics away.

It's just another night, and a broken girl who forgot how to speak watches the giant, strange man sitting in a bed across from her. Could this night be any different from the others? How many nights and days did she live in fear, abused, beaten, cursed, screamed at and touched in ways she did not understand? A great many hurts, a great many fears had been inflicted upon her and no matter which group of people found her, they always ended up hurting her, stealing from her, abusing her. Tormenting her. Would this man and his group be any different? Yes, they brought the kind lady with them but really, could they be any different? Yes, this gentle giant had given her food to eat but so did all the other bad men before. Could this man be any different? Quietly, she started to believe this might actually be true. The gentle giant was quietly crying, his head sunk miserably in his chest. She had never seen someone besides her do that before. She walked over and sat next to him and rested her head on his massive arm. Her soul shed tears with his.

There are only thirty-four minutes left on this day in 2278 AD. Two men have returned dejected, broken, bleeding from a run in with decayed, former men and their lungs are burning in flames as the toxins lose their potency in their veins. But all the wounds, fatigues and bleeds cannot surpass the greatest cut that eats their souls. The precious medicine they needed was denied and they have returned empty handed and empty eyed. Why oh why did no one else remember that sacred principle?

It's 201 AD, 201 years After Destruction. Another day ends and in the dark another begins. A life hopes to be mended, and several more are about to change. Another is about to end. A broken man, scarred again and again feels another wound break into him. He who did not know how to properly love is fighting to comfort the one who held his heart as hers slowly comes to a stop. In the blackness, she reached out to embrace him and her bloodied lips pressed against his. And with that, her last breath left her.

It's just another day in a land that world that forgot the value, joy and preciousness of human life.


	9. Chapter 9

_When all is broken, you do your best to pick up the pieces even if the world blew up in an atomic fireball two hundred years ago_

_

* * *

  
_

James awoke to feel the light of the sun immediately sheer through his eyes and send pain burning through every fiber of his body. The man let out an angered groan. It certainly was not the best way to wake up in the morning. The light awakened several things in his burnt out mind. His brain felt heavy behind his eyes and a splitting headache was chewing it way around in there. He doubled over with the intense feeling of nausea that wracked his stomach and every muscle in his body was screaming with a new level of pain he did not readily remember if he ever experienced before. He started to tremble.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay." A soothing voice consoled him, a soft presence was quietly sitting on the bed's edge next to him. He assumed the person was trying to be gentle though in reality the voice and movements felt like massive sledgehammers pounding on him.

"W-what happened?" James stammered weakly. It was Kail, gently brushing his sweat laden hair.

"You and Sven loaded up with more chems than was safe last night. You two ran all the way back to the _Defiance_ and returned here. You also ran into a couple ghouls on the streets. I'm surprised the both of you did not die of over exertion, ruptured hearts or drug overdose last night." Kail said quietly.

"L-leslie?"

"She didn't make it." Kail replied sadly. James groaned in further agony.

"I'm sorry too. However, you're now suffering from all the toxins in your body from the drugs. Way too much for one night." Kail informed.

"F-find my bag." James groaned. The Brotherhood Scribe got up to fetch his satchel. James deliriously noticed that Sven was still sleeping, albeit fitfully, in the bed next to his. Kail returned and handed James his bag. The regulator immediately started digging through it. Kail gently but firmly pushed his hand aside.

"More drugs are not going to make you feel better."

"T-there are a few s-syringes of a detox compound in my b-bag." James groaned.

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry." Kail sputtered; a hand over her mouth. The enforcer all the more feverously dug through his bag until he found the proper syringe and violently stabbed it into his thigh, slamming the syringe piston down. That done, he weakly grasped another one and handed it to the scribe.

"Give this to Sven. I don't know how he'll react when he wakes up in this much pain and I don't want to know." James wearily instructed.

"When do you suspect you'll feel better?" Kail asked.

"An hour or two and a mentat later." James mumbled, rolling into another comfortable if fetal position to rest.

--

The heavy yoke of helplessness had not left Kail since last night. She had helped Adam hastily arrange for a casket as well as the deal for the caravan to bury the body near the regulators' vault. After that, she watched each one of them simply drop to their beds and pass out. It was already near mid-day and James was the first to show signs of stirring. The woman brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and crept to the room that Adam was sleeping in. The common rooms lacked doors so she quietly stepped in. The poor man was lying still on the bed, his back to the entrance. Truth be told, she did not care if he was simply lying there awake. Too much had been ripped from him in the past few hours, both his caps and his heart.

And then there was Carl. The large man was still dozing, having fallen asleep when he leaned back against the wall, still sitting on the bed. Evelyn had fallen asleep on his arm. Kail hated to do this but she needed someone who was not in a drug overdose and in some semblance of their right mind. Kail gently repositioned Evelyn on the bed before waking Carl.

"Carl. Carl, wake up." Kail pleaded quietly. Carl grumbled before wiping the grime off his face and eyes.

"Kail, is there a reason you're waking me up now?" Carl mumbled.

"Yes. We have another problem." Kail whispered.

"Another? Haven't we already had enough problems?"

"I know, but I cannot keep stalling this one. The supervisor, mayor or whatever he is, has been demanding to speak to one of you."

--

It had been the month from hell in his personal opinion. Endless fighting against creatures, most of their equipment on the verge of falling apart, avoiding destruction and death by the skin of their teeth and now after he lost one comrade he lost the other last night. The last thing Mark wanted to deal with now was this administrative bullcrap.

"Look…mayor, executive, whatever your title was-" Mark grumbled irritably.

"Go with 'Supervisor.'"

"Right, Supervisor Ramirez. I don't know what else I have to do to convince you that we're the good guys here. Have you never heard of Talon Company?" Mark asked, a hand open in exasperation while his other hand supported his weary head. Supervisor Ramirez was the acting steward over the entire House. He made sure the place's facilities ran smoothly, the equipment stocked, the caravans running and the defenses ready. It was starting to form gray threads on his otherwise unspotted black hair.

"Good guys? I doubt that. I'd ask the other men how they felt about that statement but it seems you regulators killed them all. That doesn't sound very characteristic of 'good guys' to me." Ramirez retorted. Just then, Carl lumbered in and sat down besides Mark.

"Sorry. Can we start at the beginning? I hate walking into the middle of a conversation." Carl apologized. Ramirez and Mark sighed.

--

James forced himself to roll out of bed and came to a shaky, painful stand. He immediately started to gather his equipment which he picked up with great care so as to not harm himself. The weight of it all felt strangely increased and the entirety of his muscles still ached. How high did those chems send him up? He also knew it was in a sense a stupid risk. He and Sven could have died. Perhaps at the time it seemed the chance of that was smaller compared to Leslie's impending death and it turned out they were correct.

Of course, now he had to live with the immediate consequences. When was that detox compound going to kick in?

_"Then again, half my problem is probably because of how exhausted and over exerted my body is. Another problem is that I may be dehydrated and lacking in electrolytes and I really am going to need a mentat." _

James remedied that problem with a single pill and then made for the doorway only to collapse in a heap just before entering the hall, his body too exhausted to continue. To make matters worse, it was that noise that roused Sven. The pyromaniac yawned, stretched and then stepped out of bed only to trip over the prone James. Both groaned in pained.

"You know, I was feeling good until I tripped over you." Sven mumbled.

"I hate you."

--

Kail chewed her lips nervously as she watched Carl and Mark try to persuade Ramirez on the whole matter. While she stood in the corner, it looked like the two regulators were quickly coming to a standstill with the supervisor and even worse, starting to lose ground. Suddenly, two bleary eyed regulators, Sven and James, strolled right into the meeting and sat down. Mark, Carl and Ramirez stared at their chutzpah and relative nonchalance they exuded walking in like that.

"Continue, I'll figure it out eventually." James mumbled with a dismissive wave. Ramirez rolled his eyes before continuing.

"The fact of the matter is, because of you all, seven men are dead-"

"They killed one of us too and frankly, they started it." James grumbled irritably.

"Yes, I'm sorry to hear that your friend lost his big squeeze." Ramirez bit sarcastically. The regulators stared back at him venomously.

"And truth be told, all what I have is your word, I don't have their side of the story and no one else has stepped forward to corroborate what you have to say." Ramirez stated. Kail perked up.

"I can vouch for them. These men are good, they brought a wasteland captive needing medical attention to the Brotherhood base. They insisted beyond all reason without getting anything in return. Shouldn't that count for something?" Kail argued. Ramirez listened to her before looking at James.

"And what, she's your big squeeze?"

"Wha- no! There's no squeezing involved. Why do you people always assume-"

"Nevermind, nevermind. Look, the heart of the matter is this; the House has become the way it is by offering refuge to all those who wished to play by the rules and leave that human massacring crap outside the door. That rule was broken last night. How can I be assured that these Talon Company men won't be coming down to raze the House to the ground now?"

"We'll take care of that." James argued.

"And how so?"

"We planned on sticking around anyway, doing any side jobs the people needed. If you want to prove our loyalty, send us out on the scout or scavenging crews or something. We'll even protect you if more of the Talons come." James offered. Ramirez stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Very well. I'll consider your individual skills and you all will be given assignments to be done tomorrow." Ramirez agreed. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.

Outside the supervisor's office, Mark and James held a quick meeting.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Both of them. First you lost David and now Leslie. What are you going to do?" James asked, only a few muscles on his face twitching under the pain of his headache. He grimaced and swallowed another mentat. Mark sighed and ran a hand thoughtfully through the stubble on his cheek.

"Last night Adam and I arranged for Leslie's body to be placed in a sealed casket and buried outside your vault. Part of the payment was in caps. The other part of the payment was that I was to help escort the caravan as far north to the shack. There, I will stop off and wait for Francis to either reassign me or get me a new team." Mark explained.

"Understandable, except now we won't know what's going on in the New Jersey circuit." James sighed.

"I'm sure Francis will do all he can to get that area plugged as soon as possible."

"Yes, he does take care of us all as best as he can. Very well. Godspeed, Mark."

"Thank you, James."

"Here, take these. I forgot to sell these off and I think you'll find a better use for them than I will." James said belatedly, handing him two clips of 5.56 mm bullets. Mark gave a small nod and turned, his duster still covered in dirt and stains, his trusty Chinese Assault rifle well worn with age. It seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders.

--

Kail returned to the common room that Evelyn was hanging out in. She was glad to see the young girl up and about. The woman smiled at the young adolescent. Yes, Evelyn had the expected bronzed skin that was a little rough from living in the wastes. Her long black and brown hair was a little out of place, not in any way to be described as silky and yet Kail knew she would grow to be a beautiful woman.

"Now if only we can get you to talk." Kail said, placing her hands on Evelyn's shoulders. The girl continued staring out the window as if nothing had happened.

"How old are you, twelve, fourteen, fifteen? You can't be more than sixteen." Kail asked quietly, a smile on her lips. It was always good to find young children these days, especially the ones that were not as bad as the foulest adults you usually ran across.

"And how did you get this little device attached to your neck?" Kail continued her unanswered inquiries, gracefully touching the small canister at the top of Evelyn's spine. Eventually, Kail stared out the window with Evelyn, both watching the brightening day as the sun started to bathe the many ruined skyscraper tops in radiance.

And then a shadow appeared in the sky. It was relatively small and yet it moved quickly. Kail squinted at it, its form vaguely familiar. Suddenly, Kail's eyes went wide and she firmly held Evelyn closer to herself before she moved away from the window, her back to the wall as she hid from the open square. Kail held her breath and waited for the noise of the shadow to move away.

That shadow had been a distant Enclave vertibird. Yes, the Enclave was indeed in the area and the girl she held against herself could very well be an Enclave experiment.

--

James had roused Adam, at least enough to get the man's attention. Adam continued to lay in a fetal position on the mattress but otherwise listened to what James had to say. Both men looked miserable but were used to working under pain.

"So yes, that's the deal we struck with Ramirez. It's a little too late to disagree, but we still are under your command." James reported. Adam nodded.

"So long as this goes under rule one-two. Does it? You're the expert." Adam mumbled. James only shrugged.

"Best we can do in the circumstances. I think it would be better if we did it out of our freewill instead of being forced to do it now, but as long as it gets done nonetheless." James shrugged.

--

_ The newly acquainted regulators walked alongside the Hudson, following it downstream. Eventually they would reach the outskirts of the city if they followed it long enough. Otherwise, no one said anything to each other, keeping their eyes open for dangers. Adam still had his head wracking with the sheer weight the responsibility. Francis had sent him off some place where no regulator had been before. No telling how many dangers, and it was nearly guaranteed to be dangers down there, were lurking in the city waiting to kill them. They would have to establish a base of operations somewhere and that cheap skate old man did not even give them a bloody Brahmin to at least provide some sort of guaranteed food source. To top it off, the old man wouldn't be able to give him guidance on the assignments down there. Sure, Adam had no problem making calls but even he admitted that caps had a way of swaying his judgment. Instead, Francis handed him a thick, old book and told him to go figure it out._

_ "Hey, James." Adam started. _

_ "Yes, Adam?" James asked, his nose still stuck in that Bible. _

_ "You found any good guideline in there, like some big rule to use all the time?" Adam asked. _

_ "You mean like an overarching principle to guide all others?" James asked. Geez, he had an intellectual in the group._

_ "Yeah, I guess." _

_ "Well, it says here 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" James recited. _

_ "What's that suppose to mean? We can't go out kissing raiders and all." Adam demanded. He wouldn't call himself the superstitious type and yet throughout his life something told him it probably wouldn't be a good idea to completely piss off this guy they called "God." _

_ "I do not think it's that kind of love. Truth be told, I think it means to dedicate yourself to an all good being with all that you have, God in this case, and to the greatest good to those around you as well as yourself." James suggested. _

_ "Really? My mama always started off with the first commandment being 'Thou shalt have no other gods before God.'" Carl reported. _

_ "I'm sure if I keep searching I'll find that…eventually." James said nervously, flinching at the sheer volume of all the pages. _

_ "Eh, I'll let you figure it out since you're the smart one, James. We'll just call that rule you read 'Rule One-Two.'" _

_ The way Adam figured it, he'd at least have an excuse if James messed up and God wasn't pleased. At least he could blame James. _

_

* * *

_Author's Note: the Bible passage is from Mathew 22:37-40 for those of you who needed to know


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I'm sorry to report this but it seems the computer I was working on has died. Currently, we're working on getting the documents off my hard drive but that might take awhile. The setbacks will not be significant but there will be setbacks nonetheless. In the meantime, I was thinking about writing an interlude poem so here's as good a time as any.

* * *

_We are fallen angels_

_If we had been noble beings who fell from heaven above_

_Or broken men with clipped wings to walk this miry sod_

_Imperfect men grasping for some fleeting ideal_

_That went up in flames when the bombs fell_

_And now we who cannot even represent heaven_

_Struggle to bring some serenity to this devastating hell_

_--  
_

_We are fallen angels_

_By only divine grace our eyes are open_

_And we remember some dim form of life before it was broken_

_Though peace was not perfect before the atomic cleansing_

_Some semblance of order we hope to restore_

_Despite our broken and butchered wings_

_And the endless losses that cover us in sores_

_--  
_

_We are fallen angels_

_Our souls are weary and frayed_

_For our eternal destination we can only pray_

_Our heads are screwed on wrong_

_And our brains boil in radiation_

_We thirst for righteousness and wish only it would come_

_Our songs they'll never sing in this devastation_

_--  
_

_We are fallen angels_

_How shall we build a monument to peace?_

_Will our race, from these chains, ever be free?_

_Cathedrals cannot be built on the bodies of evil men_

_Their corpses cannot be mortared with their vile blood_

_And our deaths are many and unmourned_

_Are we pitied only by God?_

_--  
_

_We are fallen angels_

_Through these wastes we shall walk all our days_

_Endless toils and tears to be faced till we go the the grave_

_We cherish our joys as best we can_

_Lord knows they're few and far between_

_An uphill battle to be fought on principle alone_

_Until our Maker says our time is done_

_--  
_

_We are fallen angels_

_The nights are getting longer and our work is not done_

_A new dawn we pray our hardest to come_

_Our shackles still cling to us_

_And when to heaven's gates we see_

_And among the saints we are counted as the least_

_Because all our tools were broken and could not fully bring peace_

_--  
_

_We are fallen angels_

_But redemption has shone in our eyes_

_And we hear the broken hearts' cries_

_We'll never bring the divine peace as men alone_

_But since no one else will take this charge_

_And unsung heroes we may be_

_We are fallen angels and that is what we must be_


	11. Chapter 11

"_The best companion and helper is admirable morals."- Ali bin Abu-Talib_

"_We are obligated to be more scrupulous in fulfilling the commandment of charity than any other positive commandment because charity is the sign of a righteous man." – Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon_

"_God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil to exist." – St. Augustine _

_--  
_

Adam woke up feeling like he still was chained to some abominable part in hell but some small part of him continued to call. Leslie may have held his heart and now with that gone there was but one other master he served that beckoned all the more louder. His whip now sounded all the more louder. It was the idea of caps clinking in his pockets. He sighed heavily and with all the courage he could muster, he stepped out of bed.

Regardless, as he walked down the hall there was something that he could not help but continue to think on. He knew he could not hold anything against James. Indeed, he should be thankful for that mentat addict. While he was lying in bed wallowing in the mire of his sorrows, James had managed to secure a deal with the Supervisor which at least protected their opportunities here. This would at least give them a chance to continue making caps.

But now he had to join the scavenging crews. He hated scavenging. Darn that James and the Supervisor.

Regardless, at this rather early time in the morning, just when things were starting to get light before the sun was up, Adam was standing out in the House square just inside the barricade. The other crews were waiting to be sent out as well. The regulator took a quick look around him as he made sure all of his daggers and knives were fastened within his coat. His silenced pistol was secure and so was the SMG. So long as he had a stealthboy on his wrist with a few extra stowed away, he would be fine.

The other men on the various crews rubbed the sleep out of their faces as they waited for everyone else to be assembled. Some chatted quietly while others simply waited. He saw Sven listening intently to some instructions a crew leader was telling him. It appeared that Sven also was placed with a scavenging team. Meanwhile, Carl stood with a group of heavily armed men and Adam would later hear their job was to go down to the wharf and hunt mirelurks. James was nowhere to be seen. Furrowing his brow, he walked up to Sven when the pyromaniac had a free moment.

"Any clue what happened to our medic?" Adam asked. Sven's head twitched a moment as he thought before a light came on. Adam was more concerned with the neck jerk.

"He's been charged with medical duty. He'll be staying here all day." Sven remembered. Adam rolled his eyes.

"Lucky son of a gun." And no sooner did he say that did the word get out for the crews to move out. The barricaded doors slowly rolled open and all the men trotted out to get started.

--

James placed a weary hand on his face as he took in the overwhelming sight before him. Medical duties were never easy, no matter what Adam and the rest of his team thought. Sure, they thought it was easy because all they ever did was see him jab a stimpack or throw some coagulation powder on them. What they did not know was all the rapid thinking he had to do, all the medical knowledge he had to recall, the very subtle but astronomically vital details he had to look for in a wound and perhaps they would not want to know just how little he really did know. Half of it was making it up on the spot.

And now in a giant room before him, laid out in rows upon rows of disgusting and unsanitary mattresses was a cesspool of sick and wounded people. He knew things had gotten bad since the day the world was washed in atomic fire but this was just appalling. The sight of this made even him feel his stomach pinch and after all the fighting he saw out in the wastes that was hard to do these days.

"Oh my…this…this is…" Kail stammered right behind him.

"Yeah, let's get to work." James said abruptly.

"Do they not have doctors here?" Kail demanded in disbelief.

"Yeah, they're just overworked. There's only like, two of them in the whole building." James explained.

"And where do all these people come from?" Kail asked.

"Radiation sickness, general illnesses, injuries from the scavenging crews, maintenance teams, general accidents, run in with the raiders, I could go on for awhile but that's not helping them." James muttered.

--

Carl hummed jovially as they walked in the bright morning sunlight. It was one of the tunes he learned from his childhood having grown up next to the Mohawk river which branched off the Hudson. It was one of the songs the fishermen would sing as they went out to catch fish or mirelurks. Perhaps this venture is what reminded him of the song.

"So how do you boys usually go killing lurks?" Carl asked a scrawny young man next to him. The man kept chewing his lips before brushing the mop of dirty blonde hair on his head.

"There's a big trench where all the men line up waiting for them to come. We usually send the fastest guy out to get their attention and lead them into the trench where we all open fire on them.

"Does it work?" Carl asked.

"Most of the time." The man admitted.

"What happens all the other times?"

"Poor guy probably isn't fast enough. Most of the time we're able to save him before too much damage is done. They most likely end up spending a whole month recuperating at the House."

"And the other times they don't make it?" Carl inquired quietly. The man solemnly shook his head as if to say they didn't make it. Carl steeled his features before hefting his minigun.

"Well, don't you guys worry. This here gun will make short work of them." Carl grinned.

"Yeah, about that…" the guy said nervously. Carl raised an eyebrow at him.

"What about it?"

--

Adam brushed a bead of sweat that had managed to migrate down his face and started irritating his goatee. He had piled on several cans of food and other small valuables that the men had decided were necessary. Adam himself also came across a few more knives and daggers sorting through the rubble and decided he would see if he could salvage any use out of them before selling those he didn't want to the House armory. Otherwise, the food would have to go for the general use of the House. He was told the other teams took care of the heavier stuff like actual equipment and spare parts.

"It's nice to have someone who knows their way around danger being with us today." A young woman told him. She was clad in leather armor and judging from the stains around her face, she was a regular grease monkey. Her long dark brown hair was tied back into a ponytail.

"Yeah." Adam grumbled.

"Were you the regulator who lost someone the other night? If so, I'm sorry." The woman apologized.

"Thanks." Adam mumbled again. It wasn't that he didn't care it just didn't do him much. Still, getting sympathy for a loved one's death was a high compliment these days in the waste.

"Hey, have you ever seen men walking around in black armor with an insignia on their chest, looks like as symbol of a bird's talons colored in white?" Adam asked the girl.

"No, not really. Why?"

"Nothing, just wanted to know." This probably meant that Talon Company had just arrived on the scene. That wasn't good. Who invited them into New York City and how did they intend to profit anyway? Talon Company didn't do anything that did not have the guaranteed promise of caps with it. He would have to pay more attention to that.

"Quick, everyone scatter." A scavenger hissed and everyone in the group dashed out of the street and hugged the buildings. Adam whispered to the man.

"What did you see?"

"Up straight again. There's some guys in the streets. I don't like the looks of them." The scavenger asked. Adam squinted his eyes and peered through the sunlight. Black shapes, heavily armed, seemed to be wearing combat armor. Adam cursed.

"More of those Talon Company men." The regulator snarled.

"Should we ambush them from behind?" the girl from earlier asked.

"No. I want their blood." Adam said defiantly before turning to everyone behind him. "All of you stay down and do not do anything until I tell you. Just trust me on this." The regulator instructed before crouching down and quietly zipping forward. He was a man on a mission and the other scavengers could not help but be transfixed on his methods.

Adam moved at a brisk pace forward, his boots betraying no noise as he stealthily closed the distance between himself and the oblivious squad of four Talon men. His heart stepped up a few beats in his chest as he felt the adrenaline rush take him but his confidence was not shaken. In fact, he caught a low hanging escape hatch and, rushing up it, he continued sneaking up on the mercenaries by following the building overhangs.

Just a few feet away from them now, several feet off the ground. The regulator reached with both hands into his coat and smoothly drew out two daggers. His feet tingled, the adrenaline only slightly constricted his throat but his eyes burned with hatred. This was going to be for Leslie.

Adam leaped off the overhang.

The first mercenary simply cracked under his feet, Adam having landed on the man's back. Immediately, just as two of the Talons were turning to investigate, they grew throwing knives in their chests. Adam quickly ran around the side of the remaining one, keeping away from the enemy's line of sight while all the while circling in.

The Talon was only able to stare into Adam's rage filled eyes as something broke through his neck and spilled his lifeblood onto the ground.

The first victim groaned in agony as he still lay on the ground. He miserably reached for his combat shotgun that was just out of his reach only to see it get kicked out of his grasp. Adam then roughly grabbed the man by his throat and threw him back on the ground so that he landed on his back.

"Why are you here?" Adam demanded roughly. The Talon merc could only stammer in confusion.

"Why are you here? Who paid you? What is your mission?" Adam inquired again. No answer.

"Answer me!" Adam yelled. He was only met with nonsensical blathering. The regulator decided he was going to get nowhere.

"Nevermind." Adam grumbled before grabbing both sides of the man's face and giving it a sharp twist. A resounding crack hit Adam's ear, assuring him he had properly snapped the Talon's neck.

Adam returned back to the House four more fingers richer.

--

Carl was panting heavily. Yes, it was always nice to honor the wishes of other men but this was ridiculous. At least he was okay. The problem was that the men told him that bullets had a way of ruining the mirelurk meat. They also noticed that Carl had a sledgehammer strapped to his back and looked like he knew he way around it. The awkward request was whether if he minded trying to brain the mirelurks rather than shoot them.

Carl hesitantly agreed though his mind told him otherwise.

Carl really did not want to go back over the details, other than the fact that it involved very tense and heart pounding moments as he took on three regular mirelurks one at a time and then a full blown hunter. The important fact of the matter was that he was now sweating, leaning on his hammer like a cane, and panting for breath.

The other men however where cheering for him hysterically. This had not only turned out to be one of their better hauls, but no one was injured and the meat was in good condition.

Of course, they were going to have to drag the mirelurks _and_ Carl back to the House.

--

Kail was able to take a break from her medical duties and decided to get to work on her project. She knew that the Brotherhood of Steel knights were extremely skeptical of accepting weapons from wasteland traders. Often, the weapons they offered were of poor quality, almost giant paperweights after sitting around for over two hundred years and the ones that could fire were more liable to harm the shooter than the intended victim. However, there had to be a reason the people out in the wastes continued to stockpile these and who knew if they found a way to get some life into these stove pipes or found a better way to maintain them?

The armory weapons left much to be desired.

Slightly disappointed but trying to keep her spirits up, she walked back to the medical wards to find James. His rail rifle was of special interest as it seemed to be rather sophisticated, especially for a home built weapon from scavenged parts. The problem was that James seemed occupied with his work. He had shed the regulator duster for a grotesquely stained medical apron. Too many more fresh stains had erupted on it and he had just wearily finished washing off his hands of the blood that had gotten on him. It had been a long day of binding bones, patching wounds that risked infection, amputating a limb or two that succumbed to gangrene, handling droves of radiation sickness cases, a few more generic sicknesses and one pregnancy. The new mother had delivered twins.

To think that the scavenging crews had not returned yet and who knew what injuries the men had incurred? James mopped a sweaty brow with general fatigue. It had been a long two days of treating injuries and other medical crises. Regardless, this was what he had to do.

"You mind if took a look at your gun?" Kail asked, brushing her light brown bangs out of her eyes. James shot a double take.

"What? Why?" James asked.

"For my project. I'm researching how weapons and technology are handled in the wastes. Your particular weapon is interesting. Who knows, the Brotherhood might find some inspiration from it." Kail said. James rolled his eyes in disbelief but shrugged.

"You're not taking it apart but I'll explain it later. When all of this is done." James replied before walking off to find another patient.

--

Sven and the other scavengers led the caravan of brahmin along the empty streets. It had been a rather productive day of looking for spare parts, necessary machinery equipment, scrap metal and other highly demanded parts and products. Regardless, Sven was just excited that he found even more parts to build more explosives. Now he would have something to do in his spare time at the House.

However, just as they crossed one of the intersections at the city blocks, Sven's sharp eyes alerted him to a group of men further down the street. There was something odd about their silhouette.

"What do you see?" a grizzled scavenger asked him.

"Could be danger, too far down the street there. Get the rest of the caravan out of here, I'll make sure they don't see us." Sven said before creeping to a nearby pile of rubble to look over while trying to remain in cover.

The strangers in the distant wore a heavy covering and they were obviously carrying some of the largest weapons he had ever seen. What was that thing between the two men? Sven continued to strain his eyes. It appeared humanoid and yet there was something different about it. Of course, it was a sentry bot. The Brotherhood may have used sentry bots but that armor these men were wearing looked nothing like what the Brotherhood wore. Then that must mean these were…

Sven's half baked mind forced him to steal a glance a the caravan. They had all left and were already leaving him behind. The regulator dashed off to join them while hurrying to ready his missile launcher, the only weapon he brought with him.

The Enclave were in the area now and their troops were on the ground. Could the situation get any worse?

--

Later that evening, after Sven had given the disturbing news, everyone settled into their routine of things. Carl and Adam hung out at the View while Sven tinkered with his explosives. He was going to build them while keeping company with Carl and Adam but the other patrons had made such a fuss that he was unable to carry out his original plan.

Meanwhile, James was bemusedly if cooperatively showing Kail the inner workings of his rail rifle.

"I kid you not, this is a recognized design all over the place. I do not know the genius who came up with it but a lot of people know they can build a weapon with these things." James said.

"No way. No one in the Brotherhood ever mentioned it." Kail replied.

"That's because the Brotherhood is too concerned with trying to resurrect what they can of the past. That idea has its virtues but they never considered working and retrofitting what we have on hand. All you need is a pressure cooker or similar type of firing chamber, a implement for a stock, a fission battery to take the place of the firing pin and a steam gauge assembly system to provide the barrel." James explained, highlighting each component of the weapon.

"Something tells me you modified each of these things further." Kail said in mock sternness, raising an eyebrow at him as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Yes, but that took years of polishing and testing. You can imagine how happy I was when I found out that you could build a converter to transfer the power of two fission batteries to fire the spikes. If you add rifling to the tube of the assembly and add and properly align the scope, you have a weapon that's even better than most sniper rifles you'll find."

"This is fascinating, I'll have to copy these down. How did you work everything together?" Kail asked.

"Well, it's all rather self explanatory, all you do is-" James caught himself as he noticed Evelyn wander into the room. There was nothing out of place about her, she had the same listless wander, same blank if curious eyes and of course, she was silent as the grave. However, there was something different and James at first could not put his finger on it.

And then he realized he never saw her giving off a light. A little, blue, blinking light. It was coming from that darn canister strapped to her neck.

"Whoa, I need you stand still for a moment, girl." James said as calmly as he could muster, placing a hand on her shoulder to stead the girl before brushing her hair aside to look at the strange device again.

"What's wrong, what do you see?" Kail asked, also joining to investigate.

"Tell me that thing just started blinking because I never noticed that before if it was." James murmured, pointing to the little blue light flashing on the canister.

"No, it was never blinking before." Kail answered quietly.

"So now the question is why is it blinking now and what does that mean?" James demanded.

"I'm willing to bet that from what Sven saw earlier, as well as the Vertibird I saw last afternoon, I'm sure the Enclave's increased presence has something to with this." Kail replied.


	12. Chapter 12

"_Law stands mute in the midst of arms..."_

"_While there's life, there's hope..."_

_-attributed to Cicero_

_--_

Carl was impressed that Evelyn was standing quietly and calmly Sven, James and Kail looked over, examined and occasionally prodded the now blinking device stuck to her back. Only a few days ago the girl would have been on the verge of hysterics with so many people standing over her like hungry vulture. This could mean that she was getting used to people or even starting to trust them.

Or it could mean that whatever that device was, it was also starting to cause some subtle changes in her. Adam meanwhile stood back hoping that the device wouldn't go off and somehow kill them all. Sure, life was miserable but it was probably better than the alternative when somehow faced the the scarcity of it. The man idly took out one of his many throwing knives from within his duster and tested the keenness of the blade by gingerly running his thumb along the edge.

"Sven, can't you figure out if it might be an explosive by its size or something? I mean, you practically eat, sleep and breath bombs. Can't you smell one out or something?" James asked, his chin resting on his fist as he continued to contemplate the strange device. Sven twitched for a moment.

"If I cannot open it, then I don't know what surprise might be inside it. It could be a very big boom packed in a small package or it could be a cheat and not have any explosives inside it. Or it might be a small pack of goodness, in which case it would probably be more a danger to her than anyone else." Sven explained.

"But we cannot tamper with it. My medical scans showed us the device is embedded into her spinal cord. If we interfere with that it could lead to serious consequences." Kail pointed out.

"How serious would these consequences be?" Adam asked curiously.

"Entire body paralysis. Possibly death." the Brotherhood scribe shrugged.

"Is there a way to figure out if she's sending out some kind of signal or something?" James inquired. Sven suddenly dashed off, leaving everyone staring at him in bewilderment. They decided not to ask.

"If that's the case and there's nothing we can do, we're going to have to keep an eye on her, make sure that her contact with other people is at a minimum in case something...big...happens." Adam stated carefully.

"I don't think we have much choice." James agreed.

And make sure no one seems too interested in her. There may be Enclave forces looking for her." Kail suggested.

"The House is a big place so she won't be easy to find, but yes, you're right." Carl added idly scratching his head. Suddenly, Sven reappeared carrying a radio. He brought right up to Evelyn and started changing and adjusting the dial.

"Can't tell if she's giving off a signal. It could be encoded." Sven suggested. Everyone else sighed, even Evelyn looked a little confused.

--

Agent Daniel Siaga removed his combat knife from the recently bled out body of a wastelander. Still no leads on the objective he had to acquire and the wastelander was not able to provide any answers. He could not have any open ends blathering information on someone asking around for a certain child. That would get the general if sparse population talking. It wasn't everyday that another wastelander asked for such things, as that's what his disguise was suppose to be. Besides, he had learned awhile ago that people out here in the wastes had a bad habit of talking way too much.

It had been several long and frustrating weeks going down the Hudson and he had left a small but ominous trail of bodies down his path. However, orders were orders and if a bunch of idiots in the research department lost an important piece of equipment he had no choice but to go and find it if his superiors told him to. Too bad this piece of equipment had an annoying ability of walking off on its own volition.

All he cared was that it was his orders from Enclave command to go and fetch a certain girl, a photo of her was carried in his pocket. As part of the Enclave's Intelligence force, he would not fail in his task. That girl had to be obtained.

Thankfully, a small device surgically attached to her back would give off a small signal to help him track her down. What was also interesting was that it wasn't the only thing that device could do. Alas, that's all he was told.

--

Within the following weeks the chill of the coming winter could be felt in the air. The regulators pulled down the sleeves of their coats and found thicker shirts to wear under their dusters. Wandering during the day was accompanied by a dull but ever present cold and except when the sun was at its apex, their breaths were made manifest as they walked along.

Yes, the changes wrought by the atomic fallout had forever altered the weather so that it would be unrecognizable by those who lived before the Great War. However, there were still some similarities. There rarely was snow these days and you really did not want it to snow at all. What little frost did form was just as likely to give you radiation poisoning as the liquid water did. All in all, the coming chill only promised more discomfort for the men and would make life that much harder as the temperatures would continue to drop. On the other hand, there was one small consolation to the regulator squad.

"At least we can now work on our own and not pull any more apology duties for the Supervisor." Adam sighed in relief as he inspected his silenced pistol one more time. They were back on the streets hunting raiders, Talon Company mercs and, though silently praying they would never find them, Enclave soldiers. They made their patrols during the day only to return back to the House sometime in the late afternoon. James was scanning the roadway before him with his scope, crouched low to the ground as he adjusted his scarf higher around his neck.

"You think that the current freedom we have is bringing us a higher profit than when we were working for the Supervisor?" James asked in skepticism. Adam scowled.

"Probably not at the moment, but we now have the potential to." the squad leader explained, a finger held high as if to emphasize the point.

"Well then, I suppose should find another raider squad to hit." Carl boomed, hefting his minigun.

"Or Enclave." Sven suggested with a smile. Everyone glanced at him in concern, even James snuck a worried look at him from staring through his scope.

"What? They have bigger weaponry. And some carry a very nice flamethrower I want. Badly." Sven admitted.

"At any rate, this waiting around is probably a sign its time to move on." Carl said.

"Carl, I've never seen you this antsy." Adam said.

"I just feel like there's something out there." the big regulator answered. Suddenly, James' cautionary free hand went up as if signaling them to hold. All the regulators learned to stop dead in their tracks and freeze if that sign ever went up.

"What do you see?" Adam hissed, crouching down next to James. Sven shifted nervously before throwing on his blast helmet.

"Don't see it yet but I can hear it. Carl might be right. It sounds like something...big." James described, his brows furrowed deep in concentration.

Suddenly, someone dashed out from one of the side entrances of the intersections in front of them. The person seemed to be a rather distraught, frantic and heavily panting wasteland woman. She wore a suit of brhamin hide and her Latino, hazelnut skin still gave a hue that it had spent a little too much time in the sun.

"That does not look like anything big." Sven said through the muffled cover of his blast helmet.

"No, but she's frightened from something. There's something following her." Adam deduced.

And then a whole pack of ghouls rounded the corner. Adam cursed before springing on his feet. He was followed by Sven who sent an experimental puff of flame through his flamethrower to make sure it was working before rushing to the woman's aid. Carl hesitated a moment before throwing down the minigun in exchange for his sledge. The problem was that he could not risk the flying rounds accidentally hitting the woman.

A ghoul leaped up to tackle the distraught lady but was suddenly re-directed in midair as a metal spike abruptly materialized through its body, buying the woman more time. Adam was starting to spray lead with his submachine gun. The other regulators were almost there. James meanwhile had shouldered his laser rifle. More ghouls were suddenly being vaporized by sporadic but accurate energy blasts.

Adam, Carl and Sven were feeling a heavier dose of adrenaline than James behind them. Adam had also pulled out a dagger while his other hand kept the pressure with his SMG. Carl was nearly on the line, charging like an unstoppable juggernaut that promised to bring an equally heavy amount of pain. Lumbering right behind him was Sven, his flamethrower charged and souped up.

Among the regulator squad, there was a list of unspoken but very clear rules. Rule one was for Adam to always keep the side of the battle cloaked. Rule two was for the other men, when in doubt, do not shoot if Adam was cloaked and there seemed to be some distortion in front of a target. Rule three was to clear the way for Sven and then Carl. Rule four was that James was always in the back but he had you covered. Rule five, don't always wait for James unless you want him sticking you with a stimpack. Rule six, which suddenly started to apply, if Carl has his sledge, give him a ten foot radius.

This was exactly what Adam adhered to when in one motion he caught the frantic woman, hefted her over his shoulder and started to run back, allowing Carl to become a human weedeater of steel as Adam literally watched ghoul parts and the occasional whole ghoul fly through the air. He passed Sven on the way back. James was still laying down fire.

"Carl, step back, I'm going to lay down some happiness!" Sven yelled. Carl only had enough time to stop and start back when the pyromaniac started hosing down a blanket of fire. Soon, the remaining ghouls were howling in agony as the smarter ones started to back away from the flames. Meanwhile, Adam and Carl were making their way back to James. Adam was adhering to rule seven which postulated that James was immediately to check for wounds following a battle. Suddenly, Carl and Adam heard the sound of liquid sloshing around while metal clanked against metal and before they knew it, Sven was suddenly running past them. This was where one final but very critical rule came into play.

Rule eight: if Sven is running past you, keep up, you're running too slow.

James could only watch in disbelief as five vehicles suddenly belched small mushroom clouds from their fusion reactors. The roar of the combined blast was deafening. A heavily panting Sven stopped up in front of him and bent over as he tried to catch his breath.

"Sven...seriously. Stop doing that." James scolded, in regards to the massive explosion.

"You're- you're just mad...that I killed...more than you did." Sven chuckled as he caught his breath.

"Here you go ma'am, need a medic?" Adam panted, planing the woman on her feet from off his shoulder in front of James. The regulators immediately knew something was wrong with her. Most other women would be in indignation by the brash antics. This woman was well past distressed.

"Please...you have to save my son, I lost my son!" the woman cried hysterically. Adam cursed under his breath.

"Where did you last see him?" James asked.

"We had to travel through the subway system when we encountered those ghouls. They chased me and my son. I thought I had him, I swear I had him with me the whole time. The next thing I know, the ghouls are following me out here in the streets and my son is not with me!" the woman wept.

"Where did you exit the subway?" Adam asked.

"Down the street from where I came, and then take a right. You won't be able to miss it. Please, bring me back my son." Adam did a moment of thought crunching.

"Look ma'am, we just made a heck of a lot noise and I'm sure every raider and merc will be heading over here. I need you to get to the House, do you know where that is? We'll bring your son back and meet you there. Just get to the House, do you understand?" Adam demanded. The woman nodded, tears still streaming down her face.

"Are you armed?" James asked to which she replied the negative. The men all looked at each other until Adam sighed heavily and handed her his submachine gun as well as a couple clips.

"Don't use that unless they're close. If they're still far, don't try to close in on them. Just get the heck out of there and run for the House. Now go." Adam ordered. The four regulators watched the woman disappear down the streets before they stared back at the burning wreckage.

"So who here thinks we'll be bringing back home a body if anything at all?" Adam asked as he made some final checks on his silenced pistol.

"Don't speak such things. We'll keep looking until we find something or we can no longer keep searching." James scolded, once again scanning the road through his scope.

"I agree with you, James. The problem is, I also agree with Adam." Carl said bitterly.

--

Ghoul hunting with Adam, Carl, Sven and James was an odd juxtaposition of taking on some of the more depraved enemies in the waste but also, as a sad matter of fact, one of the easier targets they would come across. No matter which way you cut it, feral ghouls were not the smartest creatures on the planet. In fact, all of the men agreed that ghouls were not even worth the bullet to nail them with so they often resorted to their edged weapons or blunt instruments to deal with ghouls. Sven occasionally called an exception and would lay down carpets of napalm but that was because gas and other flammables were cheap.

Regardless, no matter how confident a game they talked, that did not change the fact that stepping into a ghoul's natural habitat had a way of sending every violent shiver in your memory down your spine. The musty and dank places with so little light that were only interrupted by the occasional, inhumane howl or moan by the ghouls seemed to awake the demons in your mind, granting some small glimpse into a wretched place in hell. It sure did not help when you accidentally stumbled on a badly mauled corpse that happened to be the last victim of the ghoul packs and occasionally, they were not so fresh. Of course, fresh or not, there were no good omens to be gleaned from such a find.

And a missing boy in the middle of a ghoul lair? You might as well write an epithet right there on the metro entrance and leave it at that.

Adam thought on this as he took point, slowly slid open the door and led the men inside. They gave themselves a moment to let their eyes adjust to the dark before Adam let his eyes wander around the room. He turned around and whispered to the others behind him.

"All right, do not open your lights unless there is no illumination whatsoever. We all turn our lights on at the same time and only when we all signal that we're ready. If we get surrounded, Carl, mind your hammer radius. Sven, if we're all going down, rig your backpack." Adam ordered sternly. Sven nodded solemnly. His backpack was their DEFCON option. If it ever looked like they were in a situation where no one was going to live, Sven's pack insured that they would all die a quick and merciful death as well as take all their enemies with them.

After everyone signaled their acknowledgment, they made sure their Geiger counters were working before Adam led them into the dark.

Within several minutes, they found themselves on the subway bed where the ancient trains had ran on their tracks some 200 years ago. Of course, they were silent now, their broken skeletons laying where they all came to an abrupt stop when the bombs fell. Their wrecks were some silent vigil, some decayed tribute to a different time long ago. Now, they shared their tombs with equally decayed and lifeless beings.

And the regulators found it very unnerving that it was so eerily quiet.

"Adam, I don't like this." James whispered.

"No kidding, not counting the stuff we'll pull from the ghouls, we're not going to make much of a profit off of this unless we find a munitions stash." Adam responded.

"No. There's no noise. We should have been fighting off ghouls by now, or at least ran into a straggler but there hasn't even been a single howl from a ghoul anywhere." the medic explained.

"You know how the woman dragged all the ghouls after her? I bet you that's why its deserted now." Adam answered, peering around a corner as they continued down the tunnels.

"That is plausible but there's something off about this." James replied.

"You know, it could just mean that this tunnel is empty." Carl suggested.

"There's no such thing as an empty subway tunnel. If it isn't ghouls, it's mutants and if it isn't mutants, its raiders, and if it isn't raiders, it's other people." James hissed. And suddenly, they heard a very distinctive _click._

_Click...click...click..._

"Well James, you're right. There is something here. Radiation." Adam shrugged, watching his Geiger counter slowly but steadily counting the rads. James sighed before reaching into his all purpose medical and ammo bag.

"All right gentlemen, you know the drill. Pop a rad-x. If you start feeling a little nausea or headache, you'll live but it means your time is running out. If you start vomiting, it's time to leave." the medic informed though all the men probably knew it by hearts now.

"All right we keep moving."

Several more meters down into the tunnels and they had to turn their flashlights on. Adam held his light in his free hand while Sven and Carl had strapped their lights to their helmets. James had built a catch on the side of his laser rifle and was using that to illuminate what was in front of him.

"Guys, our Geiger's are starting to pick up the beat. The further in we go, the more radiation we're getting." Adam warned.

"Right, just because we're not puking doesn't mean we already had a hefty dose." Carl said.

"Anyone feeling tired or getting a headache?" James asked.

"My back is killing me." Sven added.

"That's because of all the explosives in your back." Adam grumbled.

"You say 'explosives' like it's a bad thing." Sven replied.

"Right, whatever. We'll keep going another five minutes. If we don't get anything, we'll turn around. No little kid could survive hanging in there for too long if the radiation is starting to pick up." James said.

"Sounds good. Mark the time for five minutes." Adam said, glancing at his watch. Suddenly, they heard a tortured and inhumane howl.

"Ghoul." Adam murmured.

--

A barely audible hiss, followed by a small pop which then flowed into a small thump of rotted flesh hitting a cold, hard surface. Adam stared through the darkness at the body of the feral ghoul he had nailed in the back of the head with his silenced pistol. Carl, Sven and James all nodded their approval at the silent kill. They waited a moment.

Another ghoul appeared, curiously inspecting what happened to its fellow. The decayed creature sniffed at the corpse before its wrecked eyes went wide. It opened its mouth to howl a warning when a small hole suddenly erupted in its temple.

"Think that's it?" Carl whispered.

"See anything, James?" Adam asked.

"Nothing, but that doesn't mean they could be hiding in the dark." James replied.

"All right, we'll head up those stairs and then we have to head back. The Geiger has been clicking too long." Adam decided. The others started to follow him. Behind everyone, James reached into his pocket where he kept his mentats. His hand came out to produce...nothing. The medic winced in frustration. They would definitely have to get back to the House soon.

Adam led them to the top of the stairs where they plateaued to a landing. The four stepped onto the floor before coming to a halt. The wide open floor was dark and light barely filtered through. Adam held up a hand for them to halt before signaling them to turn on their lights. Adam whispered the countdown.

"One...two...three."

Their lights went on and immediately they understood they made a mistake.

In the 360 degrees around them, illuminated by the four lights, they saw the wretched shapes move followed by the angered shrieks of the ghouls as they stood up and prepared to charge. The regulators were surrounded. Adam cursed several times.

"All right, get out your weapons." Adam hissed, trying to remain calm. Carl pulled his sledge from his back and stepped away from the group while Sven pulled the shotgun from his coat. James pulled his light to a strap on his shoulder while pulling out his long blade. Adam held his light like a baton while his pulled the longest and sharpest combat knife he had. The ghouls charged.

In the flashes of light, the splatters of red, the sharp movements of the shadows, desperate life fought off what were once shells of human beings. James was able to slash two mortally before driving his blade deep into the chest cavity of a final ghoul. The many ghouls that decided to take on Carl were simply batted away, their bones and organ remains splattering and shattering under the heavy hammer. Sven sprayed a few full of buckshot before the last one simply fell to the butt of his shotgun. Adam did not even seem to move, the bodies of Ghouls simply fell to his feet, their throats slashed as they vainly struggled for their last breaths.

"We all good, no injuries?" James asked frantically as his eyes darted around.

"I think we're all good...but we have to go back now. No way a kid could have survived this." Adam panted. The others did not say anything but they knew they had to agree with him. James forlornly attached his light back to his laser rifle.

"We'll become ghouls ourselves if we don't-"

A whimper. A small cry. The exact noise a frightened child would make. The regulators all looked at each other. Carl immediately started talking loudly.

"Hey, hey kid, you out there? It's okay, we got all the monsters. You can come out now." Carl said as cheerfully as he could. Their lights searching, the men tried to track down the source of the noise.

"Come on kid, we're not going to hurt you, you're mama sent us." Carl continued.

"Seriously kid, you're going to get really sick if you stay up here." Adam decided to add, as calmly as he could.

"Guys, something is off." Sven whispered.

"I found him!" Adam cried, his light shining on the small child, probably about seven or eight, no more than ten. His clothes were torn and filthy and the boy certainly was covered in more grime and nastiness than they had seen. The boy was sobbing into his hands.

"Hey kid, it'll be all right. We'll take you back to your mother." James said, starting to lower his rifle to step towards the child. Adam meanwhile breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh man, I'm glad this wild goose hunt is coming to a- HOLY CRAP!"

The child was not covered in grime. Their eyes had finally adjusted to the light. The skin had decayed, lost its fullness of flesh. The child's limbs unsteadily lowered and his half dead eyes stared into theirs.

"Oh God, he's become a ghoul." James breathed.

"Well, what do we do now?" Carl asked nervously.

"Nothing we can do, we just bring him back home. He'll probably outlive his mother in this state." James replied.

The boy screamed. His voice had lost its humanity. In his feral rage, he made a charge towards Adam.

James fired and the boy's head simply vaporized before the wreck of the body simply collapsed to the ground. Adam cursed again. And again. And again.

"Great, what are we going to tell the mother? 'Sorry, we had to blow your son's brain out so he wouldn't eat us!?'" Adam snarled. James forlornly walked up to the body and pulled a small teddy bear from the child's backpack. It was not the first time such startling tokens could be found on the body of feral ghouls, some old memento from the days before they had been reduced to animals.

"We found the child dead from radiation poisoning. She doesn't need to know about the ghouls." James said quietly, putting the bear into his bag.

"We...we better get out of here." Carl said.

--

The regulators wearily made their way towards the exit. According to their watches, the sun would already be down but hopefully they could make a rather painless escape to the House. Meanwhile, they tried to ignore the small discomfort of the Radaway drip lines slowly emptying into their veins, the pouch strapped to their shoulders. James brows were furrowed a bit more than usual and his work a bit more sloppy when he finally got around to sticking his own arm.

"You all right there, James?" Carl asked.

"Headache, must be from the radiation." James lied. He needed a bloody mentat.

"I'm sure the medication will take care of it shortly." Adam mumbled before opening up the door entrance and climbing up the stairs. Before the others could join him, he immediately and frantically signaled for them to stay down. Just how much excitement were they going to get in one day?

"What do you see up there? Should I burn it?" Sven asked quietly. Adam could not speak, could not believe what he was seeing. Up and down the street, their large, intimidating profiles outlined in the moonlight, were super mutants. Adam could not believe it but it looked like there was a whole army of them. It would be suicide to hit them, even if they did have the element of surprise. Adam had never seen this many super mutants before and they were all armed. What was going on?

"We got a whole lot of muties up here." Adam replied.

"How many?" James asked from behind.

"Too many, we'll have to wait." Adam answered. Suddenly, something cold, wet and stinging hit his arm. He brushed off the pain before another one landed on him, then another one and another one. Despite the cold stings, Adam looked up in to the sky to see what was raining on him.

Frost. Irradiated acid frost. They would all be toast trying to walk out here in this snow fall.

"Get back in! We're going to have to find another way back the House!"


	13. Chapter 13

"_Blessed are those that wander the wastes, for they shall better appreciate the luxury of home, and should they never return home, they may have found a better place."_

"_Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, because for them the food they taste is most delicious, and should they never get food, they shall no longer hunger or thirst." _

_Blessed are those who show mercy, for they show a glimpse of heaven and may very soon get there." _

_Blessed are the insane, for they are spared the true madness of this world."_

_

* * *

_

Metro tunnels made an excellent way to travel through the city though they also made great spots for ambushes. That certainly worked against four men who were just starting to de-radiate, suffering from overall fatigue and now desperately searching for a way to get back to their base. An army of mutants did not spell good news for anyone in New York City. What also caused a problem was all the cards that were starting to appear on the metaphoric table. The regulators had originally stepped into a situation expecting to be over their heads. Now they were practically out of the atmosphere.

"Okay James, you're the computer. Why do you think this is all happening at once? First the Talons, then the Enclave and now the super mutants? This is all happening too quickly. They have to be related." Adam said, the four of them walking at a brisk pace down the tunnels. James, behind all of them, struggled to hold himself together. The mentat withdrawal felt like it was starting to eat through his skull.

"Ugh...hold on..." James groaned. Sven and Carl looked back at him in concern.

"You all right there? It looks like our computer is cooked." Carl murmured.

"Headache." James grumbled.

"Still? You sure that radaway worked?" Carl asked.

"It's probably from the stress." James lied. Everyone else nodded. Of course it was a mentat withdrawal but it if James wasn't going to admit that why should they?

"James, you're no good to me if you can't think." Adam said sternly.

"Hold on! All right..." James blinked for a moment, forcing the molten lead in his skull to produce coherent thoughts. He started blathering in a stream of consciousness.

"The Talons arrived first, they need profit. Enclave are moving in, but we think they want Evelyn. They moved in from the air. Mutant army comes from the north-east. Everyone wants mutants dead, that could provide Talons profit, but who would have foreseen a mutant army? Could the Enclave have something to do with it? Could the mutants be an experiment that went out of hand? The Enclave tend to do that."

"Well, that at least shows that there may be some way they can all be connected." Adam murmured.

"You're welcome." James growled, suppressing the urge to hold his head and instead held his laser rifle in a more ready position.

"You think we may all be in a better mood if we get some sleep?" Sven suggested.

"Can't. We have to get to the House as soon as possible. House security has to be warned." Adam argued.

The regulator leader suddenly collapsed backwards as fragments from his duster started erupting in small bursts. Gunfire suddenly hit their ears. Oh the joys of being on the receiving end of an ambush.

Carl stood stiff and warmed up his minigun before letting the massive weapon lay down a cloud of frenzied cover. He had no idea what he was shooting at yet but at least it gave them a few precious moments to think. Sven meanwhile stepped off to the side and tried to see if he could flank whatever their attackers were. Meanwhile James had fired off a few laser blasts before crouching down to grab Adam and drag him back to relative safety. The medic gave the man a quick glance over and saw spots of blood starting to pool on Adam's duster. Without looking, James flicked out a stimpack and jabbed it into Adam's thigh.

"Keep breathing." James ordered. The stimpack would hold for awhile but he had to help Sven clear the area first.

Carl squinted through the muzzle blasts and fury of bullets that were all over his field of vision. He felt a few jabs, the telltale signs of bullets landing into his coat and coming to a halt upon hitting his metal armor. It was only a matter of time before a stray bullet pierced his defenses. He either had to get lucky or Sven and James had better hurry.

Sven was slowly but surely creeping up on their attackers. Carl was doing a good job keeping the enemies down behind the cover of some rubble thrown together as a small barricade. Sven could even see the bullets popping off their armor and small clouds of red indicated that Carl was scoring hits.

Now for the best part.

Just three quick squeezes of the trigger. Just three short bursts and liquid hell sprayed all over the enemies. The obvious pain, damage and not so obvious oxygen depletion made quick work of their tormentors. Within a couple minutes everything had gone silent, even the flames had died away. Sven headed back to meet up with the rest of the group.

James was now furiously tending to Adam but he was running into a few problems. Adam wore the lightest armor out of all of them. Carl had the heavy metal suit to protect him as he could never get into cover with the minigun. Sven had excellent blast protection and James himself wore a combat armor and some impromptu ballistic padding stitched under his duster. Adam only had a basic recon armor under his clothes. It let him keep his agility but the lack of ballistic protection was suddenly showing an obvious problem.

"Darn it, Adam. Stop bloody bleeding, it's making my job harder!" James growled in frustration. A very dazed Adam stared back at him in bewilderment.

The medic threw coagulation powder into the mess that was Adam and watched for any complications, including a renewal of bleeding. He felt Adam's pulse; it was getting a little bit stronger. Good sign.

"How do you feel?" James asked.

"Like I got shot."

"Does it feel any better or worse like all the other times?" James demanded, losing his patience.

"Not one of my better ones." Adam admitted.

"Get up. Carl, are you bleeding?" James inquired.

"Nope."

"Good, carry Adam. If you start to feel faint or you start bleeding again, let me know. Do not try to be macho about it." James warned Adam sternly.

"Oh trust me, I'm seriously in wimp mode right now." Adam mumbled.

"Sven, who were our attackers?" James asked.

"Talon Company. Don't worry, I checked the bodies and got some fingers. Hope you don't mind them extra crispy. Can you believe they didn't have any explosives on them, not even a single lousy grenade? No wonder they lost." Sven answered.

--

They were all tired, exhausted and Adam still needed proper medical attention. Meanwhile, their point man, James, was suffering from sleep deprivation, dehydration and mentat withdrawal. It was seriously starting to grate on his worn out mind.

"You think that those stairs lead up somewhere close to the House?" James asked, blinking to try and clear his mind. It did not alleviate the pain.

"It better. We really need to rest." Sven said.

"Right...I think I need to get up there and make sure we don't walk right in the middle of a battalion of mutants...or other things." James mumbled in misery.

"I'm carrying Adam and Sven's nosier than anything." Carl said.

"Wonderful." James growled, shifting through the haze of his withdrawal and moving up the stairs.

--

Kail gathered her robes and shawl tighter over her to protect her body from the chill. The watch men had moved into the building last night to shelter themselves from the acid frost. She had gotten worried when the regulators did not return, especially after a half hysterical woman explained that a group of four men in green coats had rescued her and told her to get to the House. Now, she was restlessly waiting for these regulators to return "With her son." Kail just wanted to make sure they all made it back alive.

A deep sense of fear had fell over the people of the House. Acid frost, though not common, was an irritant that they could easily avoid. What was out of place was all the noise last night. Although faint and distant, all through the night they could hear gunfire, screams and the occasional explosion. The city usually slept at night and, although it was not unheard of for a raider gang to have to fend off ghouls at night, the noise would rarely if ever hit the House. They could hear the sounds of war all night. Thankfully, they were well stocked up from all the scavenging and the frost fall from the evening had convinced the Supervisor not to send out the crews today. Unfortunately, this also meant they had no clue what was going on out there. Something told the residents in the pit of their stomach that they really did not want to know.

A distinct and heavy knock landed on the metal gate. The House was secured by large, heavy concrete blocks and steel slabs that formed a wall and the gate was composed of a reinforced metal dumpster that was hoisted up by an hydraulic system. The inside of the dumpster was filled in with sand to provide a buffer. Whenever someone needed to go in our out, the hydraulic system lifted up at a quick rate so even in an emergency situation people could be evacuated quickly.

"There's someone at the door!" Kail alerted. One of the men on security walked along on the rampart system to get a look at the unscheduled visitors. After a moment he gave the all clear to the gatekeeper who then pulled a lever and the dumpster was raised clear into the air.

Immediately, four regulators stumbled in and they all looked like they had gone through a harrowing. The giant known as Carl had gaping holes in his duster and he was helping a very weak looking Adam stagger along, dried blood still clinging to the man's coat and armor. James looked haggard and had a distant look in his eye. Sven was a given crazy and always seemed a bit scary when he had his blast helmet on, which he did. Kail had no idea which one to tend to first. The scribe rushed up to them, her robes billowing in the cool gusts behind her.

"James, what happened to all of you?" Kail demanded, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, James walked like the living dead.

"Ghouls...more ghouls, got jumped by Talons...get Adam to the doctors." James blathered. Kail breathlessly nodded before getting on Adam's other side to help Carl carry the man along. Still in a withdrawal haze, James turned his attention to his pyromaniac friend.

"Sven, keep watch here with the guards. If any of those mutants get here, you blow the living everything out of them." James ordered quietly so no one else could hear. Sven nodded, his features hidden behind his blast mask.

"You giving me clearance to use the mini nukes?" Sven asked.

"If there's a big enough group, yes."

"Best news I've heard all day." Sven chuckled before making his way to the ramparts. James meanwhile made a beeline towards the House, he had to get to Supervisor Ramirez and inform him on the imminent danger.

Of course, not until after he addressed the more pressing lack of mentat issue.

--

"So you mean to tell me that there's a whole army of super mutants throughout New York City now? Where exactly where they headed?" Ramirez asked, more lines of worry etched onto his face. James could shake his head.

"Truth is, we don't know. Adam could only take a peek at them through the dark and all he said was that there was a lot of them. When we were in the tunnels he explained he never saw so many of them at once, so I can assure you, there's a lot of them. As for what they wanted or where they were going, there's no way we could have found the answer to that." James answered. Behind those concerned eyes was a brain happily spinning in overdrive again. Ramirez thought for a moment.

"I'll order the proper security protocols. We'll be going on high alert. If we do not run into anything today, I'm going to send you and some teams on scouting missions to figure out how safe the area is." Ramirez answered.

"That would make sense. However, Adam was wounded by a run in with Talons. He may be taking a few days to recuperate." James explained.

"Very well. You do understand that although I'm sure you men had nothing to do with this, I find the timing of all this very alarming. You have any idea what all of this is going on at once?" Ramirez asked.

"Talons follow profit and there are a few groups that would find the death of super mutants something worth paying for." James replied.

"Very well. In the meantime, I'm going to notify security now. The armory is going to get mobilized."

--

The House suddenly became a fortress. Many of the upper floors became lookout points for men who had any talents with a rifle. The scheduled watches were beefed up and the general residents seemed to become more reclusive, keeping to the areas that seemed to hold up some illusion of refuge.

"Sure, we're in a fortress, but if they really wanted they could blow the whole thing down on our heads." James muttered, pacing along the fifth story windows as he kept his own vigil. Kail was quietly following him.

"What do you mean?" the scribe asked.

"I've yet to see a mutant smart enough to use a fat man but God help us the day they do. Several rounds from those munitions and the building could very well collapse on itself." James explained.

"You think they'll attack the House?" Kail inquired softly.

"They'll attack anything and it's only a matter of time before they find it." James grumbled.

"We have the security team and you guys. I know you can beat this." Kail said. James cast a quizzical look at her.

"Sure wish I had your confidence." Any further conversation from the two was interrupted by someone approaching them.

"E-excuse me, aren't you one of the regulators that rescued me yesterday?" a stranger asked. James glanced at her and immediately felt a steel ball crash into his stomach.

_"It's never easy, is it?" _James thought angrily.

"Please, tell me where my son is." the woman pleaded. James absolutely hated that her voice was breaking and that the water was already gathering at her eyes. For the love of humanity, did she not already know that her son was dead? James forlornly reached into his bag and produced a dirt stained, lonely, teddy bear.

"I'm sorry. There was too much radiation. We couldn't bring him back." James admitted, intentionally skipping over several important facts. There was no reason she had to know.

"I'm sorry. You have my sympathy. I will always pray for you." the regulator added quickly. The bereaved mother simply took the stuffed animal and held it as she probably would have her late son when he was first born. The broken woman started to sulk and seemed to become much smaller. Through her closed eyes the tears started to trickle and fall.

Sympathy pulling at her, Kail left James' side and held the mother. Sometimes, there are some things that should not be said and sometimes there is nothing that can be said. James turned away to blankly stare out the window. He felt the cross around his neck rise and fall with every breath he took.

--

Carl and Sven leaned with their back against the rampart walls outside, having volunteered to offer some aid to the watchmen. Sven had taken off his blast helmet so he appeared more human. Carl seemed a little downcast but it was due more to general exhaustion and feeling bad about Adam currently bed ridden. He also wasn't pleased with the current sorry state of his tattered duster. However, he felt the worse for the people here. This was their home and now it was in grave danger. There was too much fear and injustice these days. Why should anyone be robbed of the simple luxury of feeling safe, especially in a familiar place? Why should their home be threatened?

"So how long do you think we have?" Carl asked. Sven looked at him.

"Till what? Till we die? I'd say that would depend on a lot of factors, such as which of the explosives accident got activated should that ever happen to me." Sven said. Carl tripped on his words for a moment, taken aback but the unexpected answer.

"Uh, no. I meant, how long do you think we have until the mutants find us?" the large man specified. Sven shrugged.

"I'd say...oh, now."

"Wait, what?"

"They're approaching from that street right there." Sven whispered, discreetly pointing through a notch in the rampart. Carl stole a glance and immediately felt his heart leap into his throat. Sure enough, a squad of some five of the ugly green brutes were purposefully walking towards the House's barricade. Carl immediately started warming up his minigun. The siege for the House was about to begin.

"Here comes some happy!" Sven cried as a missile screamed off his launcher.


	14. Chapter 14

"_What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations..."_

"_Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win..."_

"_Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat..." _

_-Sun Tzu_

_

* * *

_

Adam laid back in the bed that Kail and the other doctors had dropped him in. He knew the routine now, it had only happened several times before. Just lay on your back and prepare yourself for a long wait. He would probably spend some time trying to figure out how to increase their profits or contemplate which areas might actually be good prospects to hunt. Occasionally he might do a quick guesstimate on their finances, measuring the total losses to their hopeful overall gains. However, at the moment he was very much set on regretting how he let himself get shot. He decided to replay the whole sorry ordeal again in his mind.

He was just answering Sven's suggestion that they get some sleep back in the tunnels. It wasn't as if they had not spent a night in a metro before. The problem was that they absolutely had to get to the House. That was the last thing he remembered before he felt an unstoppable force slam into his chest and take him off his feet. He did not even remember the four separated shots, he just remembered getting thrown to the ground. Did he even get a look at them?

"Hey, aren't you the regulator that came with us, what happened to you?" a feminine voice asked, interrupting Adam's grumpy thoughts. He opened his eyes to spot the same woman from the scavenging crews a couple weeks back. Her face still held traces of grease stains that at least matched her long dark brown hair.

"More men from Talon Company." Adam muttered.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Will you be all right? You're not too badly hurt are you?" the woman inquired in concern.

"Four bullets all at once is a bit more than I'd like, but my medic didn't say anything so I guess I'll live." Adam answered.

"Good, I'm glad. I really don't have to get back to maintenance anytime soon, I split my hand open working on a pipe so I had to get stitches. I can keep you company." the woman offered with a weak smile, showing her heavily bandaged hand as proof. Adam chuckled in surprise.

"Sure, suit yourself. My name is Adam." the regulator introduced himself.

"I'm Marilyn." the woman replied. Adam told himself at least he had a more proper name to identify her by other than "Grease Monkey."

And that's when a dull boom echoed outside. Adam waited only a moment before everything clicked in his head. The wounded man immediately tried to sit up in bed.

"Uh, Adam, I don't think you should be getting up." Marilyn said.

"Marilyn, the House is going to need every finger that's able to pull a trigger if that's what I think it is." Adam grunted as he forced his legs to land on the floor.

"Why, what do you think it is?" Marilyn asked.

"Just get me a rifle, my guns and knives ain't going to do me good at these ranges."

--

A resounding boom immediately got James' attention on the fifth floor and the man instantly started to rush in the proper direction. Kail breathlessly watched him stalk off. She felt a tinge of fear go through her when the marksman pulled his laser rifle strapped to his medical bag before he even reached the windows. Still feeling the pangs of agony that wracked the grieving mother in her arms, Kail realized that if James was right, more people would be injured and killed very soon. Was there not enough pain and loss around here?

James peered through his shaded glasses and let his sharp eyes take in the sight he saw outside the compound. The faint but rapidly disappearing smoke trail from a missile could be detected, certainly seemed to be of Sven's doing. Outside the compound, some three or four large, green bodies were laying around a blackened crater. One of James' brows went up in astonishment. Sure, missiles packed a punch but mutants usually could absorb a missile. Wait. Of course, Sven would up the explosives in his rounds. James left the window and rushed to the stairs.

"What's going on?" Kail asked.

"It's started." James announced.

--

Carl listened to the gears of his minigun whine as the barrels made their slow revolutions. All he needed to do now was press the trigger and a hail of lead would immediately fly out. He and Sven were back to back, the shoulders pressed to the ramparts, listening for any noises that might tell them where potential targets might be. Back at the House, they could see numerous rifle barrels starting to stick out the windows. The House was ready for the siege.

"You hear anything, Sven?" Carl asked tensely.

"All I hear is the little noise of your gun. It's nothing compared to what my weapons make." Sven replied.

"It doesn't matter what noise it makes, all that matters is if you know how to use them properly." Carl muttered.

"Oh, I know how to use mine all too well." Sven snickered.

"You're insanity doesn't help."

"Actually, I'm almost certain its part of the job description." Sven retorted before he started to chuckle. Carl started to become rather disturbed as Sven's chuckles upped up to laughter and before he knew it, his friend was carrying on in hysterics.

"Sven, don't lose it on me now." Carl ordered.

"Oh dude, I never had it to begin with. I'm just laughing at how awesome this is going to be." Sven laughed.

"What do you mean?" Carl asked.

"The men are firing now and from what I can guess, there's a whole lot of mutants out there in the square. I won't need missiles, Carl." Sven explained. Carl glanced to his side just beyond the rampart wall. Sure enough, there was a whole army of super mutants out there, all starting to fire back into the upper floors and defenses. Carl swung his minigun so it would stick out of the wall formation. Gritting his teeth, praying he would not draw fire, he only took one small consolation in that he knew there was no way he could miss no matter how much the bullets deviated off their path. He didn't hear Sven finish his sentence.

"Nope, no need for missiles, Carl. I can use everything else."

And before they knew it, grenades, pipe bombs and all manner of homemade explosives were raining from the wall.

--

Off the old financial district, Knight Rufus and his initiate both stood guarding the walkway onto the _Defiance_. Just another day with all the same old things. However, even the Brotherhood on the _Defiance_ were not able to ignore the troubling sounds that rung throughout the city the night before. Normally caustic Star Paladin Tiberius was also concerned and the watches were doubled along the decks.

Of course, that still meant two people had to step off the ship and guard the landing area.

"You know, I almost wouldn't mind dealing with those four wastelanders again." the initiate announced. Knight Rufus looked at him.

"You mean the regulators? Why do you say that?" Rufus asked.

"Whatever those sounds were last night, I'm almost certain the regulators are benign compared to them." the initiate explained.

"Oh, I'm willing to bet that it was just a really big gang war among the raiders." Rufus mumbled. It was a rather unlikely guess but what else could it possibly be?

"Knight Rufus, there was a movement up ahead." the initiate alerted. Rufus looked up and through the visor of his helmet. Sure enough, there was movement.

"Identify yourself!" Rufus yelled, shouldering his laser rifle. The initiate meekly followed his example and readied his assault rifle. They had no response from the now spotted intruders. Who were they?

"Identify yourself or we will have to use deadly force!" Rufus warned. No response.

"I think they might have backed off." the initiate whispered.

"No, I'm almost certain-" Rufus jerked back for a moment when a small boom went off. The knight recovered his bearings and looked to a painful spot on his abdomen to find a new dent in his power armor.

"Get up the walkway, Initiate and order a red alert. We have attackers." Rufus ordered, slowly walking back and covering the man's retreat. Rufus continued to stare at the area where the attack came from. It wasn't until the _Defiance_ was completely cut off from the docks did he realize his assailant was a super mutant stepping from the haze.

Meanwhile on the bridge, Star Paladin Tiberius took in the information from all the couriers. The answer was simple.

"Activate all the turrets. Have them open fire on the mutants."

"What about the laser turret?" a lieutenant asked.

"Have that positioned, tell them to await my orders to fire."

--

The siege lasted all day and shots continued until the sun went down. The super mutants suffered the most but that did not mean that the House occupants got off easy. With James preoccupied with the defense, it fell to Kail to help the limited doctors tend to the sick and wounded. Now that the sun had set and darkness blanketing the city, both sides fell to waiting it out while skeleton watches occasionally fired at shadows, imagined or otherwise. On one of the higher floors, an increasingly sore and stiff Adam finally decided to call it quits, laying the rifle aside to rest on the wall. Marilyn watched over him for a bit.

"You didn't do too bad. You got a few of them." Marilyn congratulated.

"Not a big fan of rifles and I'm sure that stove pipe over there is a bit shoddy." Adam muttered.

"Think we'll drive them off soon?" Marilyn asked.

"I really hope so. We can't last forever." Adam answered. Marilyn frowned at the rather unhappy forecast.

Adam was a bit surprised when the woman laid her head on his shoulder.

--

Back out in the walled compound, Carl and Sven both sat back to back on the rampart. The giant gunner let out a grateful sigh before glancing at the pitifully small tail of the ammunition belt sticking out of his minigun.

"Gonna need more ammo soon, my friend." Carl announced.

"I'm going to need to find more happy. High explosive therapy." Sven rambled. He tended to become more disconcerted when he was tired. Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching them to find a rather disgruntled, dirt covered James staring down at them.

"So...why so dirty?" Carl asked curiously.

"Started running out of ammo, so I decided to go dig up some of the rail spikes down in the old metro systems under the House." James answered.

"Good thinking." Carl replied.

"Sven, I have an idea but I'm going to need your help." James announced.

"I'm listening." Sven replied.

"I need you to make a very specific explosive, one that can turn liquid into a mist without burning it." James said. Sven took a moment to answer.

"That...is the most horrible request you have ever given me. What kind of explosion is that, one that doesn't burn and only causes mist?" Sven demanded.

--

James had to walk away from the compounds that he was boiling and Sven would have to take care of the rest. Now, he decided he would walk over to the medical ward to make himself a little bit useful before preparing those rail spikes for tomorrow. If all went well, he might get three hours of sleep. Oh well. The regulator popped another mentat.

James stopped short when he heard a peculiar sound. It was coming from a closed off door from a vacant room just outside of the medical ward. Was that...sobbing? Perplexed, James quietly opened the door slightly ajar.

Sitting in a corner of the room, sulking in her scholarly robes, was Kail trying to wipe the water out of her bloodshot eyes. James was immediately at a loss with what to do. Instead, the man walked up to her, as if waiting for an explanation. Kail looked up at him before forlornly staring back into space.

"I-I thought I had seen everything. Brotherhood knights come back with war wounds, power armor fragments inside their organs, the occasional limb ripped off from a mutant or severe radation poisoning. I somehow never thought of what you wastelanders had to go through..." Kail weeped. Frowning, James continued to stare at her.

"So...so much blood...and death...and pain...and none of the technology we have. How- how do all of you keep on like this? James, I don't think I could do this. Am I a bad person if I couldn't? Am I weak? Where is there so much...suffering like this?" Kail sobbed. She stared up at the hand James offered her. She took it and found herself standing up to him.

"I stopped trying to answer those questions years ago. You're not weak, you're just human like the rest of us. You live because you have no choice. You suffer in the hopes that it will make someone's life better and in this hell, only God can make anyone a better person here. Nothing else can." James answered. Kail simply nodded, angry tears still forming at her eyes. James patted her arm as a feeble effort in comfort.

"You'll make it." James answered. Kail immediately latched on to him, embracing him hard as she rested her cheek on his shoulder. James wanted to ask her what she was doing now, but decided that was a rather stupid question. Besides, there was enough pain in this world. Why should he make her feel any worse? There were plenty of mutants waiting out there to plug a hole through them anyway. The regulator got angry for a moment because he knew very well the possibility that maybe within a few hours, he could be dead on a medical bed and Kail would have to shut his frozen eyes.

The possibilities life and death can do.

The next morning, just before the sun's rays could touch the pale blue skies, Carl, Sven and James walked out into the walled compound. Several floors above them, Adam was watching with a hunting rifle, insisting that he provide at least some firepower despite his still mending wounds. Meanwhile, the men carefully went over how much ammunition they had left. The weapons vendors at the Bazaar were making a killing. James looked around as if trying to find something as he loaded the rail spikes into his rifle.

"What are you looking for, James?" Carl asked.

"The direction of the wind." James explained.

"Why?"

"For the explosives Sven and I made last night."

"I hardly would call them 'explosives.'" Sven complained.

"Regardless, we need to know the wind conditions if we're to make sure we do not get hurt by them." James said quickly.

"I don't understand." Carl admitted. Suddenly, they heard a savage roar, followed by the sound of rapid, heavy footsteps. The regulators rushed up to the ramparts and joined the few sentries already up there. Their mouths dropped to match the dismay of the men who were already watching.

Rapidly closing the distance were some seven super mutant brutes. All of them were heavily armored with more scrap metal than usual on their bodies. Even more intimidating were the large super sledges they brandished. It became very clear what the super mutants had in mind. They were simply going to smash the walls down or at least put a breech into it. Given enough time, it was very likely they would succeed.

"Carl, I really hope I get time to demonstrate for you, I really do." James said.


	15. Chapter 15

"_God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering."_

_-St Augustine_

"_All say there is this world and the next world. We believe in the next world, there might be this world, because here it looks like hell." _

_-Rabbi Nachman of Breslov_

"_Be careful to have truthful friends and try to obtain them, for they are your support when you are in welfare, and your advocator when you have misfortune." _

_-Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq_

_

* * *

_

Agent Daniel Siaga hissed a harsh curse as he stared down the street. More super mutants. He knew the bloody Enclave Command had some experiments involving super mutants in the area, but did they seriously have to start the experiment now? Was his mission that top secret that no one thought about not letting the mutants in until his mission was over, or was it that this venture was deemed more important than his? For all he knew, Enclave Command simply didn't think about it. The intelligence agent let his face form into a snarl.

How was he suppose to find the girl and sneak around at the same time? Geez, a mutant or two had probably eaten her by now. A small part of him secretly hoped that would happen. It would certainly show the idiots up in command a thing or two so that they would have better planning management in the future.

The agent disappeared through a building, keeping his pristine silenced pistol ready at all times.

--

Knight Rufus and the other Brotherhood of Steel soldiers lined the starboard gunwale that was closest to the dock. They had all been told to hold their fire as the super mutants started to stream in from the roadway that lead up to the harbor and were starting to spread themselves along the length of the _Defiance_. Regardless of their rank, they all wondered what Star Paladin Tiberius had in mind when he ordered them to hold their fire. The super mutants were firing at them already, what was their commander waiting for?

"Does he always do this? Drive everyone he can under as much pressure as they can possibly handle?" the initiate complained. Rufus flinched under the sound of a bullet ricocheting off the wall right behind him despite his power helmet.

"Stow the chatter, soldier. Just wait for your signal." Rufus scolded over the noise. The knight took a peek over the gunwale before dropping back down. There had to be a whole army of them out there, at least seventy five if not a hundred. How in the world could an army of super mutants like that live off of anything here in New York City?

A deep rumble jolted the _Defiance. _It felt like a miniature earthquake. The problem was that it kept getting closer, the tumult becoming more and more robust. The already nervous Brotherhood of Steel soldiers became more and more alarmed.

"What is that?" the initiate squeaked. Rufus once again peeked his head above the gunwale.

"Ho-ly crap." Rufus sputtered.

"What? What is it?" the initiate demanded in fright.

"There's- there's a behemoth out there!" Rufus reported.

Sure enough, standing at two stories, bulging with unnatural girth and a permanent, inhumane scowl etched into its face was a super mutant behemoth. The ugly giant had its hand curled around a fire hydrant, the heavy piece of metal comfortably carried like a child's toy. Without warning, the behemoth readied up and threw the hydrant with devastating force. The hydrant suddenly materialized right beside Rufus, the gunwale having buckled in some four feet from the hydrant. Rufus cursed more out of shock than anything else.

"I'm sorry, Knight Rufus, did you just tell me that we're all screwed?" the initiate growled.

--

Out in the wastes, death comes in many forms. Sometimes it comes as subtly as radiation poisoning or dehydration. Occasionally, it came dramatically as a deathclaw or an ill placed land mine. Some of the worse ways to meet death was in the form of a madly storming squad of super mutant brutes with super sledges held over their heads.

Carl had opened fire on them as soon as he got his bearings but most of their armor absorbed the rounds. James was only able to fire off a rail spike that lodged into the knee of one of the mutants, slowing it down but not stopping it. Most of the sentries that were able to react kept firing on the crippled mutant but still the brute would not go down. Sven fired up his flamethrower only to have James roughly pull him away.

"Watch out!" James yelled just in time for the sledges to slam into the wall in front of them. A nearby sentry was simply thrown off the wall rampart and landed in a heap on the ground. Carl and Sven did their best to back away from the wall section that was already starting to crumble under the repeated blows from the brutes. The other mutants were keeping anyone from firing on the monsters.

James meanwhile looked at the down sentry. Any thought of going to check on the man was dashed when he noticed the head bent at an odd angle. Broken neck. James bit his lip before shaking Sven to get his attention.

"The wind is in the right direction. Only you can use the bombs because you have a gas mask. Let me and Carl get the other soldiers away from here before you use the explosives. Use them wisely. Best to employ them on heavily armored brutes that have protection our guns can't break." James explained. Sven nodded to show his acknowledgment. That done, James and Carl stood to their feet and started to shepherd the other combatants away from the attacked section of the wall. When they were finishing, Carl leaned over to talk to James.

"So what was this bomb you and Sven worked on?" the big man asked. James nodded at Sven before explaining to Carl.

"Last night, Sven and I scoured all throughout the House. We bought out every dose of Jet from every vendor we could before we had to start searching for stashes addicts might have hid away." James started.

"What did you do with the Jet?" Carl asked. Meanwhile on the rampart, cracks starting to form in the wall, Sven discreetly pulled a canister from his duster and made sure his breathing mask was working.

"Had to distill the liquid, condense it down and isolate a specific chemical before amplifying its potency. I don't know the name of the chemical but I do know what it does, especially if it's aerosolized and inhaled." James continued. Sven popped the arming pin on the canister and dropped it over the wall at the feet of the mutants. There was a small _poof_ before a white mist suddenly erupted from the canister and started to blanket a sizable area around the mutants while keeping out of the wall.

"What does it do?" Carl asked.

"It goes straight to the lungs and heart where it starts to play havoc on the cardiovascular system. Within moments the heart rate starts galloping." James said ominously. They suddenly heard coughing just outside the wall though the sledge hammer blows had stopped seconds earlier.

"Within a few seconds, the victim goes into cardiac arrest. They're dead shortly after that. I do not know of an antidote." James finished. Outside, they heard seven heavy bodies fall and grow silent.

"Wow...doc, I knew you knew your way around killing, but this here is very sophisticated." Carl marveled. James shouldered his rail rifle again.

"Someone who can heal a life in one hand can just as easily snuff it out in the other. Even you should know that." James answered.

--

Up on the bridge of the _Defiance_, Tiberius and his chief officers could not help but be just a little but surprised by the arrival of the behemoth. It was a sight that even the most battle hardened of the Brotherhood did not want to see. The monster had thrown a piece of trash and dented the ship but now it was readying a large truck. That was a projectile Tiberius could not afford crashing into the _Defiance._

"All guns open fire. Laser turret, hit that behemoth." Tiberius ordered coldly and all at once, the _Defiance_ unleashed its wrath.

The large cannons could not fire on the mutants as they were too close, but the smaller anti aircraft turrets easily doubled as anti-personnel guns that easily shredded the mutants. Body parts, flesh and organs were simply ripped apart by the guns on the _Defiance_ and the mutants on the dock simply fell away before its fire. It almost appeared to be overkill but that was all overshadowed by one single turret.

The large laser cannon aimed at the behemoth and fired a massive, blue pillar of light. The beam of pure energy bored upon the monster, peeling away its atoms all in a split second. The ancient fusion powered truck exploded in the light of the beam and for a moment all of the Brotherhood soldiers were blinded.

On the gunwale, when Knight Rufus' vision finally cleared, he once again looked over the railing. Butchered bodies of the mutants lay scattered all over the ground. All that remained of the behemoth were two still standing legs burned down to the ankles, steam and smoke now wafting from the flash cooked flesh. The stumps suddenly became some odd testament to what once stood there. Rufus' initiate suddenly blathered in amazement.

"That-was-friggin-awesome!"

"Yeah, I don't ever want them to use it again." Rufus muttered.

--

The mutants had retreated just beyond any effective range of most weapons outside the House compound. Still, the defenders did not consider the siege lifted but lacked the manpower to launch a counter-attack. They could still hold out for a little while more as water could be collected from the metro system under the House. Previous precautions had prevented enemies from subverting the House through the same tunnels by blocking all the passages. Bird traps on the roof would help stave off the dwindling food supplies. The question now remained whether the mutants would retreat, the House defenders would cook up a surprise strike, or perhaps an army of caravan merchants or other external force would drive them off.

In the meantime, all they could do now was wait. James, Carl and Sven idled on the ramparts as they occasionally glanced over the walls to make sure the mutants were keeping their distance. Eventually, they started to strike up conversation.

"I think Adam has found himself a new lady." Carl announced.

"That was quick." James muttered.

"Seems like a nice girl, though he technically hasn't introduced us to her yet. I just always see her around him on the few times I can go up to check on Evelyn, Kail and Adam." Carl explained. He often had to make trips back to the House to restock on ammo.

"Well, that's good for him." Sven agreed.

"Indeed, he seemed to have been less of himself after Leslie." Carl nodded.

"As is expected." James added.

"Now what about you and Kail?" Carl asked James. A brow went up his forehead from behind his shaded glasses.

"What are you talking about?" James asked.

"I've been seeing you two around each other a lot." Carl grinned.

"We have similar professions. We both work in medicine." James shrugged.

"Uh huh." Sven muttered in skepticism.

"It's not like we've done anything special and I have no intentions." James stated. Carl chuckled.

"Well, you probably don't have intentions but I'm sure Kail has feelings for you and you know what, I think you do too, you just haven't realized it yet." Carl told James.

"I believe you are mistaking a common camaraderie of a shared trade for romantic interest." James retorted while popping a mentat.

"Ooh, big words!" Sven rambled in half mockery.

"Deny it all you want James, but maybe you should glance over there." Carl said, pointing behind James. The other regulator turned around to find Kail smiling warmly while waving at them. Two plasma pistols were at her waist as she helped a few men tend to the minor wounds of a few sentries in the compound. James weakly returned the gesture.

"She's looking right at you, man." Carl muttered quietly to James.

"She's waving at all of us." James stated through clenched teeth from a forced smile. Sven simply laughed at that answer.

"James, denial is one of your biggest problems." the pyromaniac scoffed. James sighed.

"Well fine, she does seem to be a nice young woman. However, I will not recant that I have no intentions." James warned.

"Hey man, I was married once before. You just don't turn down a good opportunity. Women like Kail do not come around very often." Carl admitted.

"Now out of curiosity, just how come you haven't married again, Carl?" James asked.

"Right lady hasn't walked by yet." Carl shrugged. James rolled his eyes.

"Very well. I'll consider it but I have a feeling a lack of romantic interest on my part may be a problem." James muttered.

Suddenly, rapid gunfire burst just beyond the compound. More than just the standard pop of chemical ballistic rounds, they could hear the distinctive whine of energy weapons being fired. The defenders, including the regulators, peeked above the wall to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

Out in the streets, a sizable squad of men wearing Brotherhood of Steel power armor engaged in an intense fire fight with the super mutants. Other than the Brotherhood of Steel insignia, they also all had another emblem embossed on their armor, that of a lightning bolt. The regulators could only watch as the Brotherhood soldiers made quick work of the mutants, the enemies falling to accurate bursts of Chinese assault rifle fire and powerful laser blasts. In fact, by now everyone who could was watching the streets and were cheering the soldiers on. After the last mutant was shot down, the House occupants graciously opened up the gate and allowed the Brotherhood knights inside the complex. The apparent leader of the squad spread his arms to draw attention to him.

"We thank you for this gesture of thanks. We shall not stay long as we have more mutants to hunt but we will not turn down this offer for a moment to rest. We are Iron Storm troops from Star Paladin Tiberius, I am their commander, Paladin Galatius." the paladin announced.

"Well, glad that's over with." Sven chuckled in reference to the lifted siege.

"I don't know. Something tells me we better help those guys in their pursuit of the mutants. New York City will be safer with more of them gone." James stated.

"You think Adam will approve?" Carl asked.

"There's always some profit to be gleaned from raiding mutants, if that's what you're asking." James replied.

"True. How about that Paladin Galatius? You think he'll let us tag along?"

"He seems like a decent guy, probably more reasonable than Tiberius." James speculated. They watched as Paladin Galatius pulled off his helmet showing himself to be a man of handsome features with long hair.

"Well, he's certainly a girly man." Carl snickered.

"Eh, that hair would get burnt up in no time with my stuff." Sven said. Indeed, Paladin Galatius certainly seemed to be the center of attention. He amplified it from the regulators when they realized he had noticed Scribe Kail.

"Julia!" Galatius called, walking up to the woman. Kail looked up and started speaking with him, though they were too far away to be heard.

"Julia? I thought her name was Kail." Sven stated.

"Apparently her full names is 'Julia Kail.'" James muttered. Carl patted his shoulder.

"Looks like you got competition, son." Carl said. James looked at him.

"What competition? The last competition I had was when some upstart gang walked into my circuit and claimed they could keep the peace. I waited for them to make one mistake. They got greedy and hit a merchant caravan. The next day, the whole gang was dead, their heads spiked with railroad nails. I don't like competition. Besides, it's not like I had any intentions to begin with." James stated before walking off. Sven and Carl watched after him.

"That man has serious denial problems." Carl muttered.

"Yeah, too bad you can't burn it or something." Sven replied.

--

Deep under the New York streets, three super mutants walked through the darkened caves of the metro tunnels. The war was not going well. They had been released from their prison and with one accord they headed down towards the city. They had two behemoths back then and now one was gone. They were not the brightest creatures on the planet but even they knew when they were losing. Regardless, there was little that could be explained to them on why they behaved as they did or how they once were humans before they were super mutants. The transformation was all the work of the Forced Evolution Virus that was still working within they very cells.

Alas, even the Forced Evolutionary Virus still suffered from the quirks that plagued all viruses, and that was mutation and different strain forms. These were realities that every virus had and today, a new strain of the FEV was readying to perform a stunt all its predecessors had not done before. It started with the death of the infected mutant. However, death of the infected vessel does not bode well for a virus that needs its host to live. That's where the virus pulled its last stunt, rapidly growing blood red, tendrils studded with veins that snaked from the corpse.

They quickly latched onto the other two unsuspecting mutants.

--

_I do not feel, I do not see_

_However, you do all these things_

_What then, are you to me?_

_I do not love, I do not eat_

_These you must participate in_

_How then are you use to me?_

_I do not hate, I do not dream_

_These are things that plague you_

_Why then should you fear me?_

_I do not sleep, I do not scream_

_Oh, but you do, don't you?_

_Shall I mold you more like me?_

_I do not live, I do not breathe_

_But you do, and I need that_

_What then, are you to me?_

_I do not die, I do not regret _

_You do, and I am virus_

_May I make you one of me?_


	16. Chapter 16

_When you fall from grace, you place yourself where grace flows, no matter how empty the fount may appear. When you are the one that dispenses justice, you naturally must go where there is no justice..._

_

* * *

_

Adam awoke to the pale white light of an overcast morning. He was first aware of the chill that only seemed to increase slowly but steadily with each day. He immediately, if groggily, drew his duster tighter around himself. He was certain that these duster coats were one of the more useful things on the planet. Regardless, he smiled with the already fading memory of pleasant dreams about Marilyn. Granted, a part of him was a little concerned with the speed at which they were going. Another part of him wondered if somehow he had betrayed Leslie in doing this. He would probably have to talk with James about that later, the man was the best of the four of them when it came time to psycho-babble. Sven on the other hand was simply a psycho that babbled.

Still tired, Adam rolled over onto his other shoulder and opened his eyes. He found himself staring point blank into another pair of eyes. He nearly wet himself.

It wasn't until after he just suppressed the urge to cry out did he realize it was Evelyn. The little girl with her wide, blank stare slowly backed away and walked off listlessly. All the while, Adam watched her like she was a demon waiting for her to strike. Seriously, Evelyn was a nice girl and as far as children went these days, she was practically a saint. A very disturbing saint. In fact, Adam would admit that he would love to have a daughter like her some day. Well, he'd want a daughter like her except for the creepy, eerily silent with blank stare parts. That and he could also do without the blinking cylinder on her back.

Sighing, Adam forced himself to get up and wondered how the day would begin. Quietly, as he did not know what time in the morning it was and frankly did not care, he wandered down to The View, the House's favorite saloon and hangout.

The View was run by a stout little Asian woman who went by the name of "May." However, when you first meet her, or if at any moment you should offend her or even if she did not like your attitude, she was "Mama-san" to you. May was a reasonable and fair hostess who tried to know all of her usual patrons by name and those that knew her would not doubt that she could hold her own. She probably did not break five feet in height but most everyone agreed that she could scold a raider or even a super mutant into submission. Adam ran into May just as she was stepping out of The View's entrance.

"Oh, hello May. Who are you putting in charge while you're away?" Adam asked.

"No one is in charge. The View is closed for now. Time for church. I think all your friends went already." May said in her heavily accented and semi-broken English.

"What? Have you always closed for the preacher? Would you mind if I at least bought a drink?" Adam asked.

"No. Go to church now." May ordered, her fist on her hips.

"May, come on, be reasonable." Adam complained.

"Off with you. You may now call me Mama-san until I like your attitude again." May scolded.

"May!"

"Mama-san, and if you keep it up, I'll give you a bad manners tax." May said firmly. Adam rolled his eyes and let out a unhappy sigh.

"Fine, mother." Adam grumped and stomped off. May's shorter legs did their best to keep up with him.

--

Religion after the apocalypse was slightly more diverse than its pre-destruction cousins. Though nearly all of the major religions survived, at least in fragments, all over the globe, other religions and cults also popped up. It wasn't unheard of to hear reports of ghouls paying homage to some unique looking structure or object and there were certainly small communities and hideaways that probably worshiped some deity or idol of their own making. Some even said there was a small group out near former DC that worshiped an atomic bomb or something of that nature.

Here at the House, because of the many religious groups that existed in the area before the Great War, there were also a few religious leaders who guided the pious on certain days of the week. However, the end of the world has a way or warping things. Some religious rituals may be forgotten, in whole or in part, sacred texts may be partially or completely lost in an area and perspectives may change. Indeed, these days people either gave God or the gods the finger if anything at all, or paid them too much superstition.

At the House, the religious, pious, superstitious, traditionalists and reverently bored gathered together to listen to five individuals give a group presentation. One man wore a prayer shawl and skull cap, the other a tattered black frock and mostly white collar. Another wore a similarly almost white cap of an imam, the other a heavily stained orange robe of a Buddhist monk. Last but not least was a man in the prayer beads and faded robes of all those who wore the mantle to minister to the Hindus. At the moment, it was the Imam's turn to give a few wise words. He spoke on the necessity of prayer and the virtue of giving alms to the poor. He added that those who did not have caps could at the very least give a cool cup of water to the thirsty. The other religious leaders also nodded.

Sitting in a row on one of the ruined pews of the makeshift temple were the four regulators and Kail. Carl and Sven sat with pious respect while James looked more like the theologian hard at thought. Kail listened with due regards while Adam sat looking mildly disinterested but with the reason of anyone who wished to have some sort of divine welfare insurance. Adam leaned over to talk to James.

"Do they all say the same thing? If they do, why don't they all wear the same darn thing?" Adam whispered. James thought for a moment.

"They may say similar things for a good majority of the issues but if you ask the regulars around here, they'll tell you there are days that the five start to disagree on certain things." James replied.

"Really, what happens then?" Adam asked.

"I'm told that by now, all five of them have agreed to disagree and the people just choose to believe what they want to believe." James shrugged.

By the time the multi-service was over, the regulators all began to walk out in their group, Kail keeping right behind them. Just as they stepped out into the hall, May ran into Adam again.

"All right, no more tax for you. The View will be opened up soon." May announced to Adam.

"Sorry, mama. I got to work now. I'll see you later tonight." Adam answered. May smiled.

"Very good. You work hard now and be safe. Don't do anything stupid. You may call me May again." May lectured and scurried off to her work place.

--

The gunshot wounds no longer were stiff and didn't bothered him but now another sore spot was starting to erupt within him, more specifically in the head. Apparently, it did not seem just how reasonable Brotherhood of Steel members looked, they all were just walking headache generators, at least that was what Adam was becoming more and more convinced of.

"What? You guys are so concerned for your safety that you're going to turn down another four set of hands to fire guns?" Adam shot at Paladin Galatius. The original plan was that he and his squad would join Galatius' Iron Storm troopers in clearing out the rest of the super mutants from the city. It appeared Paladin Galatius had other ideas.

"What I'm saying is that we can cover more ground. We'll head east where we believe the majority are, and your men can head south." Galatius replied.

"There is nothing south of us. We stopped them all right here at the House when they were coming north. Whatever is south of us are probably the original super mutants that were there before the invasion." Adam argued.

"All the more reason for you to do so. We have heavy armor and proper weapons. You and your men are not so properly equipped." Galatius frowned. Adam's jaw dropped as if he was insulted.

"Whoa, hey! You're saying we're poorly equipped now? Guy, did you hear that, he thinks we're not up to par!" Adam hollered.

"We're right here, Adam. We heard him." James said, his voice clearly showing he was not at all flattered.

"If you're so properly equipped, how come I don't see a lot of explosives on you? How can you be ready for a fight if you don't have plenty of these?" Sven asked, revealing the inside flap of his duster to show a dazzling assortment of grenades, pipe bombs and other homemade explosives. Galatius grimaced at the rather disturbing sight.

"I'm saying this for your safety. Not to be condescending, but seriously, how much combat experience have you men possibly seen?" Galatius asked. He was met with four icy glares.

"I'd wager more than you, with less than half of the fancy crap you and your men have." Adam shot. Galatius scowled.

"And what are you trying to accomplish by coming with us?" Galatius demanded. Adam smiled mischievously.

"Actually, I was thinking we could give you Brotherhood men a hand. I mean, someone's going to have to keep an eye out for you since all you guys have for vision is just a narrow slit in your tin cans." Adam retorted.

"No deal. You either go south or go where ever you want except east." Galatius stated finally. Adam rolled his eyes and scoffed while Carl tapped his shoulder.

"Boss, if he wants to get himself killed, let him. We'll head south and mop up raiders. If these guys don't come back, we'll head over and scavenge what is left of them." Carl said darkly. Kail, who had been listening the whole time bit her lip. She was convinced Carl's statement held some validity. Unfortunately, she doubted there was any way she could convince Galatius otherwise.

"All right, come on men. At the very worse we'll just have a nice, peaceful hike today." Adam grumbled, leading the regulators to the gate. Galatius likewise assembled his men.

"Iron Storm, ready for the march. We'll be heading out in five minutes. Scribe Kail, I would like you to accompany us. We could use your medical skills." Galatius ordered. He suddenly heard someone tapping on his shoulder plate. He turned around to find himself staring at James.

"Look, if you're going to turn us away because we don't have armor, then you're not going to take a scribe into battle who only has a combat armor under her robes. Either you take me or you take these." James instructed, a hand offering a sizable pouch of stimpacks.

"What right have you to interfere with how I command?" Galatius demanded.

"Since you started turning away men who have fought and survived out here with half the stuff you have because you think they're lacking and then ordering that a scribe go with you into what you believe is a heavy battle zone without heavy armor." James shot.

"I could very well ignore you." Galatius retorted.

"But you won't because you and I both know we want to keep casualties down. You leave the scribe here which prevents anyone from being unnecessarily put at risk and you take these stimpacks, all-purpose-heal-every-battle-wound medicine." James replied, his brows furrowed over his shaded glasses.

"Guys, stop! There's no reason to fight over this." Kail growled, standing between them.

"You drive a hard bargain, regulator." Galatius grumbled, taking the bag.

"I'm glad tin skulls can be reasoned with." James retorted.

--

Carl walked right behind Adam, followed by Sven and James. The streets and air were stone cold and Carl could see the clouds of steam that formed with each breath he made. Otherwise, lower New York City seemed to be at rest. The tranquility was so encompassing that eventually the regulators broke formation and started walking in a casual group. However, Adam had a few words to speak with James about.

"How much of our medical supplies did you give him?" Adam asked.

"About a third, nothing I can't replace in an evening." James replied.

"All that for Kail?" Adam inquired with a sly grin.

"If he had called any other unarmored medic with little battle experience I would have done the same." James replied defensively, knowing exactly where this was going.

"Seriously man, if you're going to sink that much for her, you really should at least ask her out." Adam suggested.

"It's nothing like that." James waved off. With that, they continued down towards the east side of the financial district, the far side that they had only visited once before when they made their first round through New York City a few years back.

Adam tightened the Brahmin's skin gloves on his hands to keep out the chill while James re-did his scarf around his neck to accomplish the same. Suddenly, James help up that cautionary hand and the other regulators came to a halt. Adam looked back at him.

"What do you see?" he asked the marksman. James pulled up his rail rifle to his shoulder and looked through his scope. The other three continued to wait for what he had so say. Slowly, James lowered his rifle and popped a mentat. Carl took that to be a bad sign.

"We got bodies piked up and mutilated. Looks like raiders. Keep your eyes peeled." James warned. Again, they got into formation.

--

The four men had seen enough of the atrocities that occurred on a regular basis in the wastes. They had come across bodies that were butchered beyond recognition by the elements, mutilated by raiders, mauled by the creatures or mutants of the area or simply blown to pieces by weapons fire. Only the river Styx held more blood and organs than what they had seen in their short lives. The severity of the terror rarely made them flinch.

Sheer volume however, was another matter altogether.

For a quarter of a mile down the street, body after body after body they passed, all bloodied and massacred until only their familiar form suggested they were once human remains. Still, the flesh had not fallen off the bones and yet flies and other vermin found a little of the wasted remains to pick off of. Small, pike-like stands were made to support the bodies while the occasional lamp post was modified to impale a body or two.

James and Adam took point while Sven and Carl followed behind. In turn, it was Adam who scouted one step ahead of James, making sure everything was clear before James could follow up and see even further with his scope. Adam was the one who could blend with the shadows. James was to see further than any of them.

Crouching behind the spiked metal structure that was made only to support the broken hull of a human being, the two men did their best to ignore the stench while they scanned the area. Adam coughed to suppress the gag reflex from the decaying smell before he whispered his question to James.

"See anything?" he asked. James waited for a moment before he lowered his rifle again and his countenance folded into a look of utter confusion.

"What?" Adam asked in bewilderment.

"Well, we got to walk up there because you're just not going to believe me." James replied.

After signaling everyone together, the four regulators marched up to the end of the street to be greeted by a wall thrown together with rubble and sandbags while a simple choke point acted as the entrance and exit. They could not see much, but it looked like about half a mile of the street had been converted into a small city. The road acted as a commons while people milled about through the buildings and the passway. Even more shocking was that it did not seem that the inhabitants were raiders at all. The regulators would have been shot through before they could have ever made it to the barricade. Instead, they found themselves standing right in front of a single guard, an assault rifle strapped to his shoulder. James, Sven and Carl looked around at the apparent if disbelieved civility while Adam pulled himself away to speak with the guard.

"Is there a reason you got a bunch of bodies all displayed leading up to here? I mean, it takes a certain kind of determination to impale a guy through one of the old street lights." Adam asked. The guard, a young and weathered man with short stubble on his face simply smiled.

"That's all warnings for any raiders or trouble makers that might try to go by. We make an example of any hotshots that make trouble here. The merchants and customers know of here so they don't get scared off by the scenery." the guard explained.

"Brutal, macabre and disturbing but effective." Carl commented.

"You do what you got to do." the guard said.

"You mentioned merchants and customers. What do you guys sell here?" Adam asked, crossing his arms in front of him. He was already considering on making a few business deals. The guard looked at him quizzically.

"You mean to tell me you never heard of The Wall?" the guard asked. The regulators all suddenly shot looks at each other. It all just clicked.

"Wait...you mean _this_ is _The_ Wall?" James asked, stressing where appropriate.

"You betcha." the guard replied.

"You mean the place where people are rounded up and brainwashed into the appropriate slavery the masters believe they'll be best suited for and the children of the slaves are even more easily programmed?" Sven asked for clarification. The guard shook his head.

"Now now, it's not as bad as you're making it sound." the guard stated.

Called "The Wall" because of the name of the street that it was built on, The Wall somehow became a center for slaver activity. However, the original slave masters were smart and understood that a higher profit could be made if the basic slave could be trained to specialize in certain tasks. Some slaves were built up and trained for heavy work such as mining or steel work. Scavengers were trained on how to find objects of value while given basic lessons in survival. Other slaves were simply trained in entertainment, either relatively benign or carnal. No age or gender was spared from the depravity that the masters were willing to have them specialize in. Raiders from as far as the Pitt came over to The Wall to purchase slaves. Slaves from The Wall fetched a heavier price but generally did better in what they were purchased for than the regular run of the mill wastelanders that were plucked from their homes. Those that had been born in the Wall system were especially highly spoken of. They simply knew no other purpose in life.

And now, the mythical place that had come to embody Hell, Sodom and Gomorrah, The Pitt and every ill spoken abode in human memory was standing before the regulators. Just how were they going to break down The Wall?

"Hey wait a minute, you're all wearing the same coats. Are you guys regulators or something?" the guard asked suddenly in mild concern.

"No...uh no. We're uh...just businessmen." Adam lied, staring with the others at just how vast the place of misery was. Armed guards seemed to be everywhere and the slaves outnumbered them all by a large margin. The guards certainly out gunned the four men by themselves but could they count on the help of brainwashed slaves?

"So then what kind of slaves would you like to purchase?" the guard asked carefully.

"Hold on...we're just browsing." Adam mumbled absent absentmindedly, still calculating along with Sven, Carl and James the odds they were up against. Seriously, just how were they going to pull this off if at all? James swallowed two mentats at once. That was not a good omen.

"You're free to look around inside." the guard offered.

"No...no we're good." Adam replied quickly. This guard greeting them was a total idiot but it only took one smart slaver inside to recognize their green uniforms and they would be toast.

"Victor, are you have some trouble with these customers?" a suave voice suddenly rung out. The regulators broke their scanning stares to look at the new comer. The intruder wore a business suit, as best as could be clean these days and also wore dark glasses similar to James'. The businessman walked right up to flank the guard named Victor.

"No Boss Conner, they say they're businessmen themselves looking for slaves." Victor explained.

"Is that so?" Boss Conner muttered. The hairs on Adam's neck stood up. If the coats had not given them away he was certain there was something else Boss Conner had picked up on.

"Adam Anders, it's been awhile. I see you're still just a hired gun no matter the attire you wear." Boss Conner said darkly. Adam scowled at him.

"So when did you decide to change business, Mr. Conner?" Adam asked. Carl squinted at Adam.

"You two know each other?" Carl asked.

"Yes, before your friend decided to go on the other side of the law. He used to work for me for something just as lucrative. Pity he decided regulating was a more profitable venture. I had to change investments after he left." Conner said in a none too happy tone.

"Can't say I regret it, Mr. Conner." Adam admitted.

"You will today, Adam." Mr. Conner said and before anyone could say anything, they both had pulled their pistols out and were aiming at each other's foreheads.

"Whoa, hey, Boss Conner, you want me to get the other guys or something?" Victor asked.

"Yes, that will do, Victor. These here men are reg-"

_Pfft! _

A hole suddenly exploded in Mr. Conner's head while a puff of smoke issued from Adam's silenced pistol. Before Victor could react, James reached into his duster and pulled out his sawed off shotgun, emptying a load of buckshot into the unfortunate guard. Immediately, they saw activity going on down throughout Wall Street.

"That could have been planned better." James grumbled, loading another buckshot cartridge.

"We're going to have to think on our feet on this one, gentlemen." Adam said, preparing his SMG.

"So can I use the fat man?" Sven asked.

"Too many slaves in the way. We want to keep them alive." Adam replied, ducking behind the cover of one of the barricades.

"Good point, I'll find a more precise explosive." Sven agreed.

"What happens if we get overwhelmed?" Carl demanded, warming up the barrels on his minigun.

"Don't intend to. If we have to, we'll make a backward retreat, draw them out and pick them off." Adam instructed.

"I don't know if that'll save us but we have no choice now. Play your cards right men, we're all in." James said and fired his rail rifle. A guard suddenly had his head nailed to a building wall.

Withing a couple minutes, the slavers were forming a heavy wall of men and guns that were steadily approaching the barricade that the regulators had commandeered for their use. Carl understood that if he didn't thin that mass of men they would be hanging to dry on the light posts lead to the entrance. He didn't like that thought of that.

"Cover me, guys!" Carl called before stepping up and letting his minigun open fire. All along the lines the men buckled down and fell, their flesh popping from the rain of 5mm rounds. Occasionally, a slaver would fall to the spray from Adam's SMG and the irregular but dead accurate shot of a railroad spike always took a man down with one shot.

"Gentlemen, I don't think we can keep this up forever. We're bound to run out of ammo if they keep coming like this." James stated, his rifle screaming to deliver a nail into a slaver's chest.

"Well, what are we going to do? I could lay down a blanket of fire and incinerate everything from here on in." Sven offered, popping up to lay flames on a few men that managed to escape everything else. Adam tried to speak over the burning mens' screams.

"I have an idea. If you don't hear from me in thirty minutes, just get out of here." Adam announced and immediately he disappeared under the veil of a stealth boy.

"You have any clue what he's doing?" Sven asked, readying his missile launcher now that their enemies were a sizable distance away.

"Nope." James replied.

--

Covered under the light bending cloak of the stealth boy, Adam sidestepped the entire line of slavers and continued moving deeper into the quarters of The Wall, further away from the fighting. Adam understood that one less man keeping fire at the barricade compromised the chances of his men surviving with each passing moment so he knew he had to move quickly. He had to keep looking. He headed for the one building that looked more heavily barricaded than the rest. Finding the door locked, he pulled out a hair clip and knife from his pockets and proceeded to pick the lock. Within a few moments, after some prodding, he was rewarded with the _click_ of the lock opening. Stepping inside, he found exactly what he wanted.

--

The scavenger slaves from The Wall were considered the most valuable commodities that The Wall could offer. They had a high survival rate and knew how to get into most situations and survive where most other slaves would have perished. Unfortunately, that also made them the most dangerous slaves, at least in the minds of the task masters. Though they were trained to use weapons, they were heavily guarded and an experienced task force of slavers constantly kept the scavengers under surveillance.

That task force was now slowly and silently being picked off one at a time.

On the top floor, the scavenger slaves listened to the distant gun battle, wondering what was going out that would cause the slavers to engage in such a long battle. Every now and then mutants would wander into the area but those conflicts were relatively brief, lasting only a few minutes. This one was going on much longer. In fact, the guards watching them also appeared to be nervous. Sitting and chain in their pens, they could only really watch the guards back.

This made it all the more terrifying and bizarre when a guard, seemingly moved by an invisible force, simply moved his neck too far too quickly and fell dead to the floor. Just a second later, a man with an olive green duster materialized over the dead slaver and stared at the scavengers.

"You want to fight for your freedom?" the man asked the slaves.

--

Sven scrambled back under the barricade after letting a missile fly. Somewhere on the second story porch of a building, a bunch of slavers suddenly exploded when the projectile made contact. Regardless, the regulators were still under heavy fire.

"Guys, I'm almost out of ammo!" Carl called. He only had one belt of ammunition left.

"I'll lend you my laser rifle when you run out." James offered though silently flinching as he was almost out of railroad nails himself. Where was Adam?

Suddenly, a renewed roar tore through the street of The Wall. Within moments, another human wall, that of the slaves, crashed into the slavers. Now, the regulators could only watch as a single man with a green duster led the liberated slaves as the angered captives now exacted vengeance on their tormentors. Before they knew it the assault was over. Bewildered, Carl, Sven and James left the barricade and now walked towards the now celebrating slaves. Adam was laughing in the midst of them.

"You realize what we've just done?" James asked him.

"What's that?" Adam asked.

"We've just broken The Wall." James replied quietly.

"Too bad we couldn't burn it." Sven muttered.

--

The now freed captives were more than happy to repay the regulators. They scrounged around and provided the proper ammo for each regulator. James' railroad nails and his custom made bolts were replicated at the smelter and the marksman walked away with more spikes than when he had arrived. The now freed slaves were also more than willing to gather the trigger fingers of the slavers and hand them to Adam. However, the regulators knew when to stay their hand.

"That's enough, you've all given enough. You need to keep some of your resources to rebuild your lives." James said. A silence descended on them all as they continued to listen to what he had to say.

"You all know what it is like to be oppressed. You are now free. You are no longer fodder to be sent on suicidal tasks because of men's cowardice. You are no longer objects to sate the lusts of the lecherous. You are no longer things to be bought and sold. You are all human beings with a will, with a right to choose, with value and lives to live. Now make the right choices and on this place that was known for its depravity and misery, build something that men would know that evil cannot sustain itself and that divine good always triumphs." James instructed. The men were meet with cries of jubilee as they left to return back to the House.

--

Agent Daniel Siaga found a rather large building that seemed to be a center of residence for a good many people. The Enclave Intelligence agent decided that if there was any place to go looking for that girl, this was just a place as any. It was getting dark and he had noticed that the sentries at the gate did not seem to demand much from outsiders. Adding to his peace on entering, disguised as just another wastelander, he saw four black shapes also emerging from the dusk to enter through the gate.

"Welcome back." the sentry at the gate called to the men before opening the gate. Daniel glanced at the four men beside him. They all wore long green coats and appeared to be exhausted from a long days work.

Despite the small nod that they all exchanged as a greeting, he could not help but feel that there was something about those men that would come back to bother him.


	17. Chapter 17

_If you're going to save the world, understand that you must change it._

_People do not like change_

_This is why the world is not saved_

_This is why it was easier to burn it_

_

* * *

_

The sleep of a regulator or anyone that ventures regularly into the waste is first instantaneous upon hitting any surface, then deep because of the body's need to recuperate. It is often very refreshing but most of all, it is long. Very long.

James awoke first, being the most structured of the group. In the common room, he found Sven laid out, his limbs at every which way in his usual fashion. On another bed, Carl was snoring to beat the band, his barrel chest rising and falling like some sleeping volcano threatening to explode. Further on, Adam rested on his side, his arm around that new girl that was following him. Apparently both had fallen asleep in the same bed. James rolled his eyes, gathered his stuff and walked out the door. He had to check on those compounds and chemicals he had started boiling last night.

The regulator walked into the makeshift laboratory he had set up only to find someone else was already in there. Surveying the bubbling tubes and beakers was Kail in her scholarly robes as usual. She glanced up at him and smiled.

"Good morning, James." Kail greeted.

"What are you doing here?" James asked.

"I'm sorry, am I not allowed to be here? I figured I could help. You left your notes out and I decided it couldn't hurt to help you make more." Kail apologized. James relaxed a bit.

"No, it's fine. I'm just not used to anyone being here." James explained.

"You left quite a fascinating array of notes on how to boil healing compounds from common ingredients you can find in the wastes. Do you mind if I copy your notes? This will come in handy back at the Brotherhood." Kail asked. James started to place the proper chemicals into easily portable containers for the road.

"Go ahead." James approved flatly.

"Can I ask you something?" Kail asked, brushing her brown amber hair out of her eyes.

"Go ahead."

"You do not seem all that thrilled about the Brotherhood. Do you have something against them?" Kail inquired. James did not miss a beat.

"I do not have something against all of the Brotherhood. I believe their quest to salvage technology is noble. A good many useful things were lost when the bombs fell." James answered.

"And yet I do not believe you have told me everything." Kail said.

"But some of the Brotherhood do not use that technology to help the needy in the wastes." James replied.

"We only can do so much." Kail defended.

"Understood, and yet there is so much you can do and yet they're trapped trying to save and recover technology when they do not retrofit what we have on hand and aid the needy. Civilization will not be saved by finding technology alone. We can uncover all the plasma weapons and nuclear reactors we want and it will mean nothing if our race falls to barbaric ways. Regulator reports from DC say that your Elder Lyons wishes to help the DC people, yet his headquarters, the Citadel, is walled and barred from wastelanders."

"And you believe what you do benefits the people of the wastes?" Kail asked calmly.

"It is what I can do. I remove the cancerous parts of society that refuse to heal and I bring medical aid to those in need. That is what I know how to do and it is what I contribute. Kail, I don't know how much of myself I've given already doing this work and one day I may have to give my life. I've held nothing back." James explained.

"And you believe the Brotherhood is holding back?"

"In some ways, yes." James answered. A dreadful silence fell in the room as James busied himself with filling the containers.

"What about me? Is that what you feel about me?" Kail inquired quietly.

"I believe you are a sweet woman with a beautiful soul. You are different from the other Brotherhood members I've run into this area. What you are doing hanging out with them is beyond me. So no, I don't feel that you are that way." James said flatly, still not taking his eyes off his work. Kail nodded quietly before putting some final ingredients into the beakers. With that, she made her way to leave.

"I apologize if I have offended you, Kail." James said. The scribe looked back at him and smiled.

"Please, call me Julia. I'll see you at The View." The regulator was a little bit confused after the woman left. He could not get his mind around the fact that that was not the proper nor expected response to an apology.

--

By the time James finished bottling the home made stimpacks and got to The View's entrance, he had walked right into his fellow yawning regulators. Carl especially gave a particularly gusto yawn with an equally epic stretch.

"That was a good sleep." Carl announced contentedly.

"James, how long have you been up?" Sven asked.

"Only about thirty minutes or so." James replied.

"We're going to have to train you on how to sleep in." Carl said.

"I slept enough." James mumbled.

"So are we going to stand out here or are we going to head inside and get breakfast?" Adam interrupted.

"Good idea." Marilyn said before leaving all of them to enter. The other regulators took the moment to interrogate Adam.

"So, what's her bloody name?" Sven asked.

"Marilyn. Sorry I never got around to introducing you guys." Adam apologized.

"Darn straight. What were you waiting for?" Carl inquired.

"Hey, we've all been busy and we're hardly serious yet." Adam defended.

"Hardly serious, she fell asleep in your bed." James pointed out.

"Complete accident. We didn't do anything." Adam shot.

"I doubt that's what you would have intended." Sven snickered.

"No comment." Adam grumbled.

"Seriously, congratulations Adam. She does seem like a nice girl but frankly, don't go too quick and make sure she's kosher. If you get a disease I don't know if I'll be able to patch that kind of stuff up." James stated with only a touch of sarcasm as he walked into the hangout.

"You prick!" Adam hissed right behind him.

The four regulators sat at the main counter where May usually took orders. It was also from where the short hostess guarded the bar which was behind the counter. Most patrons would have rather taken their chances crossing a yaoi-guai than trying to pull a fast one on May and the liquors she guarded.

"What would you all like? Mirelurk cakes?" May asked the four men.

"Yes, ma'am." Carl answered. The others nodded.

"One moment, please." May announced before scurrying off to give the orders to the cook. James, who was sitting next to Kail who had been waiting there, suddenly felt a lot of people staring at them. The last time that happened when he was sitting there, he had left a bleeding body on May's rug. He didn't want to repeat that. Taking one of his many morning mentats, James whispered a question to Kail.

"Is it just me or is everyone staring at us?"

"Ever since you all walk in, yes." Kail replied.

"So...what did we do this time?" James asked quietly.

"What do you mean? You don't know what you did?" May's voice suddenly chimed in. James jumped. He had no idea she was listening to him.

"You mean to say that you boys have no clue what you did? Have you not heard the rumors?" May continued to demand. All the regulators immediately appeared to shrink a few sizes while instinctively letting the hands fall on the handle of a weapon they had on themselves. May continued.

"Just last night merchants and visitors were coming in talking about 'four liberators' who 'brought down The Wall' and turned the slave city into a free city." May explained.

"Oh..." the four regulators said in unison. May lowered her voice to continue.

"They say these four liberators all wore olive green coats." May finished. Adam let a smirk cross his face.

"Does this mean we can get a hero's discount, May?" Adam asked.

"Do you know how to say 'arrogance tax?'" May retorted. Adam grumbled.

"Fine."

--

After breakfast, James and Carl left the table promptly. James decided he should continue to boil needed chemicals and medicines for both the regulators and the House. Carl wanted to join the mirelurk hunting crews on a quick raid. He was already becoming a celebrity among the crustacean hunters. Only the man's history growing up among the Mohawk river fishermen and his skill with the sledgehammer could have given the proficiency he had taking them down.

Chatting amiably with Marilyn, Adam suddenly felt a heavy presence come up behind him. A very heavy, power armored presence. Adam turned around to find himself starting at Paladin Galatius.

"Hi." Adam said with only a little bit of chutzpah.

"Hello." Galatius said flatly.

"Do you want something?" Adam asked.

"Yes. I heard about what the four of you did yesterday." Galatius informed.

"You sure that was us?" Adam inquired. Galatius let out a dry laugh.

"Please, how many other regulators are there in the area walking around in a group of four? Besides, others said that among the Liberators, one carried a large gun, another had a flamethrower, the third shot metal spikes from a strange rifle and the fourth who led them infiltrated the slavers with the help of a stealth boy." the paladin said, his eyes falling ironically on a stealth boy that was still latched around Adam's wrist.

"Could have been a coincidence." Adam lied.

"Hardly. Look, yesterday the men and I ran into heavier resistance than expected heading east. There's more mutants out there and we could use some help. We're taking the day off to rest but tomorrow we're heading out again. You think the Liberators could help out my Iron Storm troops?" Galatius asked. Adam smirked at him.

"We'll take it. Is that what they're calling us now, the Liberators?" Adam asked. Galatius chuckled as he left.

"Oh? But I thought you said it was a coincidence." Galatius had one more regulator to speak to.

Sven was enjoying the small feast he had assembled. Granted, Sven was a lean and skinny man with an appetite disproportionate to his size. He was not a glutton but rather a victim of a hyperactive metabolism. That appetite was especially awakened after a long mission, particularly since he had stumbled back from yesterday's work without eating. He was practically starving now.

The pyromaniac was happily munching on a squirrel kabob when he noticed Paladin Galatius sitting down next to him. Sven glanced at him when he saw Galatius staring at him, but otherwise got back to stuffing his face.

"How are you, mister..." Galatius trailed off, realizing he had not even gotten Sven's name.

"Just call me Sven. You couldn't pronounce my last name." Sven said between bites.

"Right, Sven. Okay, I have a question for you, Sven." Galatius announced.

"I might have an answer. Unless you have a question about explosives, then I definitely have an answer." Sven replied.

"Your friend, James. Julia, er, Kail, talks about him a lot. What is James' intentions towards her?" Galatius asked. Sven stopped eating and stared nervously at him.

"Hey, I just want to make sure he's a decent guy." Galatius explained.

"Eh, James doesn't know himself." Sven said before resuming munching.

"What do you mean?" Galatius inquired.

"You think I'm crazy? He's crazy too, but in a good way, the normal crazy all the other people accept. Trust me, Kail's safe around him." Sven replied.

"Yeah, okay, but does he have any romantic interests towards her?" Galatius demanded.

"Maybe, maybe not. I doubt he knows himself." Sven said.

"Ugh, fine. We never had this discussion." Galatius said before leaving. Sven sighed happy before getting back to gorging. His enjoyment of being left at peace came crashing when Kail suddenly sat next to him.

"Sven, what was Galatius talking to you about?" Kail demanded. Sven stopped chewing, understanding he was just about to walk into a difficult situation.

"Uh...he said we didn't have a discussion." Sven said.

"I'm sure. Look, did he bother you about James?" Kail inquired.

"He said we didn't have a discussion about James and whether or not James may have had any romantic intentions towards you." Sven announced.

"Oh, of course. Well, does he?" Kail asked.

"The tin can and I did not have a discussion on whether we're not sure if James has any romantic interests." Sven replied.

"Hmmm...interesting. Very well, I may or may not have a discussion with Galatius. We didn't have this discussion as well, Sven." Kail said before walking off. Sven waited a moment and then decided he was safe. He finished off his squirrel kabob. Just when he was wiping his mouth, James returned, taking a break from his work.

"Talk about anything interesting lately, Sven?" James asked innocently. Sven gave an ominous look.

"No. I've been told that I've had no discussions as of yet." Sven replied and left quickly. James shot a quizzical look at him.

"I swear that man get crazier with each passing day." James murmured before ordering a glass of water.

--

Daniel Siaga sipped his glass of slightly irradiated vodka quietly at the House. He had been sitting like an inconspicuous, faceless wastelander at The View for hours, taking the much needed opportunity to relax but also to get an idea for the residences here. Compared to wandering out in the war zone that was New York City and the wastes, this was a piece of civilization and relative safety. He did not feel compelled to continue searching for that girl anytime soon. The man let himself relax back into the chair as he folded his hands together behind his head and rested.

The receiver he had on him that was practically screaming the girl was nearby told him he wouldn't need to search far anyway.

--

Sven, Carl and James all shared the same makeshift laboratory that James had set up. Granted, the room was little larger than a closet but it was the only room they could find that the other residences would let them do their work. Well, the work that involved explosives on Sven's part. Sven just followed James. Carl in turn followed them because no one wanted to be around Adam and Marilyn. Lord knew what they were doing and they really did not want to find out. James meanwhile was off fetching more supplies so Sven and Carl took the moment to chat.

"So let me get this straight; Galatius is interested in Kail while Kail is interested in James." Carl recited.

"Who is obliviously unaware and obstinately being interested in no one, much like a faulty circuit." Sven said, wiring one of his home made explosives. Carl cast an uneasy eye at him while he cleaned one of the barrels on his minigun.

"I know this is a silly question, but just how safe am I with you tinkering with those explosives?" Carl asked. Sven looked around at the imposing array of bombs he had created.

"Judging by the assortment of explosives, all with various grades of detonation power, add that to the quality of the arming mechanisms I've created and I'd say you're okay." Sven told him. Carl nodded.

"All right, I'll take your word for it."

"That is, unless one of these wires fail. In which case, I'd say this whole floor will get blown out." Sven finished. Carl decided to disregard that.

"Hello, gentlemen." James muttered as he walked in and placed the proper ingredients into his beakers and tubes. Just a few more hours and they would be more than ready for tomorrow's adventures. The men chatted a bit and traded a few laughs when they heard a shrill scream issue out of the doorway. The men immediately poked their heads out to find Kail excitedly pointing the opposite direction of the hall, her face the perfect look of fright. Following the aim of her finger, they looked in the appropriate direction. Some ten feet away, Evelyn was walking in her usual blank gaze. The problem was that scurrying behind her was an unexpected New York rat. James immediately marched ahead and pulled out his blade.

James earned his proficiency with his blade growing up in the mountains along the southern Hudson valley. In his small community, the most common problem was mole rats. A child and adolescent probably did not have the money to afford a gun but a machete was cheaper, easier to maintain and wasn't plagued with ammunition needs. It was the perfect weapon for him. When he had made this short sword, he drew on the lessons he learned using the machete as a kid. This blade was certainly sharper and could both split a person open with a slash or easily deliver a mortal puncture wound with its clip point.

That New York rat that was uncharacteristically and strangely following Evelyn was toast.

The New York Rat was a larger cousin of the more common mole rat. Almost exclusive to the city area, they could be found in the sewers, metros, building wrecks and occasional underground dens just outside the city. Intelligent creatures, these oversize rodents had a knack of getting into unexpected places which was why no one was trying to guess how the animal managed to get this far up the building without being noticed. Only to further add to their intelligence, it was not unheard of for a trader to take a New York Rat as a pet as they were easily tamed, had a good sense of smell and therefore could detect goods as well as dangers, and could be friendly in their own way. There were also stories that on rarer occasions, a New York Rat might adopt a person rather than the other way around.

This immediately went through Jame' mind when he cornered both the rat and Evelyn at the end of the hall. Evelyn and then the rat turned to look at him. The rat scanned the larger man with his beady eyes and started to groom his snout. New York Rats, though not necessarily the cleanest creatures, had their own standards of hygiene which they were fastidious in, and then noticed the blade in James' hand. Standing on its haunches, the rat did not react except to step back a bit. As if to make it clear, Evelyn gave the rat a small pat on its head, to which the rodent gave a contented squeak. James sighed.

"Well would you look at that. She's got herself a pet now." Carl grinned.

"At least we'll have an extra pair of eyes to keep an eye on her." James agreed.

"You're actually going to let her keep it?" Kail asked in disbelief.

"Sure, why not?" James shrugged.

"Well, it certainly could use a bath." Kail scolded. The rat's nose twitched as it surveyed the four people in front of it.

"Well, that girl is just full of surprises. We just turn our backs on her for a second and she manages to tame a full grown New York Rat." Carl said. The large rodent, slightly larger than most dogs, got back down on its four paws and looked back up at Evelyn.

"We better put a collar on him or something, just to make sure he doesn't end up in a pot at The View or something." James suggested. Sven dashed off to the laboratory and returned with a rope, a land mine arming mechanism tied to the cord. The regulator then hung the rope loosely but securely around the creature's neck.

"Haha, now we know no one will mess with that rat. Not only will they know it belongs to someone, they'll know it belongs to our local friendly bomb maker." Carl chuckled.

--

The next morning, May was busy cleaning up the counter while her other employees made sure all the tables were in order and the place was as clean as you could make it in post-apocalypsia. The stout woman wiped down the ancient wood platform before looking back to make sure all the liquors were in order. Finding them to her liking, she nodded and turned around. She nearly shrieked when she found herself staring back into the beady eyes of a New York Rat. For a moment, the woman had no clue what to do as the rodent stared back at her. After spotting the makeshift collar around its neck, she then heard a small metallic clink and saw that the rodent had dropped a cap onto the counter. The woman thought for a moment before a small bulb went on in her head. Walking slowly in mild disbelief, she disappeared into the kitchens and returned with a few scraps from the squirrel meat they were cooking for the day. She laid it out on a tray before the rat who immediately started munching the meat to its heart's content. Within moments, the rodent done, it squeaked as if stating its gratitude and scampered off. May decided she had seen everything now.

--

"I swear, I'm missing a bottle cap." Adam complained. The four regulators were walking in the midsts of the Iron Storm troopers. They had started off in the early morning, Paladin Galatius wanting to have as much time to eliminate the super mutants. If he could, he would make sure the super mutant problem ended today and then they could return back to the _Defiance_. The chill wasn't biting but they could still see the steam when they breathed or talked.

"Adam, did you seriously keep track of every cap you had and then counted them this morning?" James asked incredulously.

"Yes. The night before I had a specified amount of caps that I will not mention in public. I counted them three times to make sure. This morning, I was one less. I double counted to make sure. Seriously, what thief walks off with just _one_ cap?" Adam demanded.

"Maybe you dropped it?" Sven offered.

"Ha! I never drop my caps." Adam scoffed.

"Somehow I believe you on that one." Carl nodded.

"I don't see you guys suggesting where that one cap went." Adam stated.

"Perhaps you misplaced it. Besides, its only one cap." James replied.

"Sure, you think one cap isn't important until you're just one cap away from affording something you really need!" Adam screeched. James shook his head.

"Adam, you should have become an accountant or something." James sighed.

"I was for awhile but then I got bored. Besides, it didn't draw enough money." Adam said.

In contrast, Galatius' Iron Storm troops were silent and stoic in their work. Constantly keeping their eyes peeled, they seemed to lack the alert but lackadaisical composure that the regulators had. Regardless, Paladin Galatius did not regret having these men around. After the heavy fighting they saw yesterday, it would be good having a couple extra troops on hand. Suddenly, they all noticed the regulator, James, hold his hand up and started scanning the street down ahead with his scope. Galatius turned to look at the Iron Storm marksman, Knight Hail, who also did the same through a sniper rifle. Later the men came together to report their findings.

"There is the rest of the mutant army down the street. They're already embroiled in some kind of battle." James announced.

"Fighting? Who would they be fighting? Are they killing each other?" Adam asked.

"Negative. I spotted some other power armor troops as well as black armored men." Knight Hail informed.

"Must be Talon Company, but who are the power armor troops? Did more of the Brotherhood make it down here?" Adam asked.

"Unlikely. I think the Enclave, Mutants and Talons are all fighting up ahead." Galatius said.

"Awesome. Shall we crash the party then? And when I say crash I really mean incinerate." Sven cackled, lighting up his flamethrower.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Galatius nodded.


	18. Chapter 18

"_The honor of your fellow should be as precious to you as your own, and do not be easy to anger."_ -attributed to Rabbi Eliezer from the Talmud

"_And be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues; for whatever good deed you send ahead for your own selves, you shall find it with God: behold, God sees all that you do." - _Surah 2:110, from the most respected Qur'an

"_For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." - _Book of James 1:20

* * *

War never changes and yet it does. Tactics and technology must change for each other and generals must re-write the books of strategy and yet, war does not change. The raw, frenzied life and death struggle where lives are ended and people are forever changed is never lost from war.

You do your best not to lose your humanity in the midst of the fire.

The fighting was occurring along two blocks of the city. On the northern block, Enclave soldiers were dropping in from Vertibirds and rushing to attack the mutants. From the southern block, Talon mercenaries holed themselves up in the blasted buildings as a type of fortress. Coming from the east was the remnant of the mutant army.

Approaching unnoticed from the west were a small band of soldiers. They split into two different groups instead of crashing head on into the fight. The Iron Storm troopers from the Brotherhood broke north and would hit the Enclave from the rear. The Liberators wheeled south and would take out the Talon company troops.

What could possibly go wrong?

"So do we have a plan?" Carl asked as they trotted along to get behind their enemy. They could hear the barely muffled sounds of war going on from the opposite side of the block. The buildings rattled from some of the heavier explosions.

"You mean other than the one we're currently doing?" Adam asked, readying his submachine gun.

"Yeah, it seems a little unsophisticated." Carl pointed out.

"We don't have any more information on than that. We're going to have to improvise." Adam said.

"Sounds good." Carl agreed. They rounded the corner of the block, their hearts in their throats. The sight that greeted them was truly out of legends.

Along two buildings on opposite sides of the street, the Talon Company soldiers were laying fire into a whole army of super mutants. Pinned down in the square under cover they had hastily thrown together, the super mutants held their own against both the Talons and the Enclave soldiers who were coming from the north. The problem was that the Enclave and Talons occasionally traded fire with each other. When did three armies ever engage each other all at once? The regulators stood still, their dusters gently swaying in the breeze that seemed to encourge them to the battle. Adam spoke to the others.

"So...how about we liberate the heck out this place?" Adam asked with a sly grin.

"Aw, I just wanted to burn the living everything out of it." Sven complained. Adam shrugged.

"Yeah, that works too."

They charged.

--

Paladin Galatius led the Iron Storm on a collision course with the Enclave. An oppressive force that had little respect for human life, the Enclave represented a threat to the lives of the wastelanders all across the former U.S. Galatius was not about to let this threat go unchallenged, not on his watch. His laser rifle at the ready, the Brotherhood of Steel Paladin spearheaded the charge. This would be their most grueling fight yet and someone had to instill courage in the men.

"Forward! Keep pushing men, keep pushing until the Enclave and the mutants and all that threaten our lives are wiped from the face of this city! Forward!"

The Iron Storm was unleashed upon on the enemies of the city.

--

The regulators had to split their forces again, this time to take out both of the Talon Company held buildings at the same time. This allowed them the best chance to keep the wrath of all the Talons from falling on them at once. However, it upped the stakes. If anything went wrong with both teams then they were very likely to be wiped out.

Just another day in the duster.

Carl stepped by himself into the first floor of the blasted building. The other Talons had not noticed him yet. Those on the second floor did not have a chance on figuring out he was there since he was out of view and the noise alone prevented them from getting a hint something was amiss. Meanwhile, the mercenaries on the first floor were still preoccupied with the mutants that were in front of them. Carl figured he should take advantage of that.

With an initial whine and then a flurry of small flashes, his minigun opened fire right into the backs of the Talons. It only took one quick but deliberate sweep and a row of limp bodies laid before him. Nodding, Carl glanced up at the second floor. He suddenly heard the sound of steel slipping into flesh, that would be Adam assassinating the first victim. Shortly behind that, he heard rapid, short bursts accompanied with matching muzzle flashes and then everything fell silent in the building. Carl cautiously called.

"Adam, you all right?"

"Yep!"

--

James felt that the circumstances he was working under were just a little bit hotter. Literally. Pulling out his laser rifle in favor over his rail rifle, the marksman covered the stairs while Sven got to work, laying down whole blasts of burning fuel. James preferred quick, clean kills. Sven's style was a little bit inexact to his tastes and certainly lacked any description of "subtle." Any half conscious Talon upstairs had to have seen the billows of fire issuing from the wrong direction from upstairs and now they had to rush to check what was going on downstairs.

There they were.

James opened fire on the two Talons that ran down the stairs, both brandishing assault rifles. The crimson bursts from his laser rifle vaporized armor, flesh and muscle where they hit and James was deadly accurate in his fire. The first Talon simply has his head annihilated off his neck. The other Talon was unfortunately hit with a laser blast that trigged a chain reaction in his body's chemistry. Instead of just burning the local area it hit, its devastation was carried throughout his whole body reducing him to a pile of ash.

"Not bad. I still got more than you did." Sven snickered through his blast helmet and started towards the stairs. James stopped him with a small tap of his rifle.

"There's more up the stairs." James warned. He heard a chuckle through the blast helmet's mask.

"Don't I know it." Sven stated and pulled an obviously makeshift bomb from his coat.

"Fire in the hole." Sven muttered and threw it up towards the stairwell wall. The bomb bounced off the surface and slid onto the second floor. The ensuring explosion blasted a few ancient tiles off their moorings on the first floor ceiling.

"I'll take it that means all clear?" James asked Sven.

"I think a robust 'boom' is more fitting than 'all clear.'" Sven replied.

--

The buildings that were now commandeered by the regulators rained fire on the mutants. Adam was going along, pilfering the assault rifles the Talons had and firing them into the mutants. Carl was able to scrounge a generous amount of the 5mm ammo for his minigun and was spraying a ceaseless torrent into the monsters. Meanwhile on the other building, Sven repeatedly opened up with his missile launcher while James found a very handy sniper rifle to work with.

Across from the regulators, the Brotherhood Iron Storm was mopping up the rest of the Enclave and now focused their attention on the now very battle weary mutants. The fresh Brotherhood and regulators had not only filled in the power vacuum left by the Enclave and Talons, they were quickly out pacing the mutant's former enemies because they were not as exhausted from the battle.

The last of the Enclave soldiers falling and the mutant warriors threatening to collapse any minute, Paladin Galatius continued to press his men forward. Their helmet visors shone with the promise of approaching victory. All of this could be ended right here, right now. The Brotherhood knights roared in aggression as the _Defiance's_ finest shock troops entered the fray.

Sven had left the safety of the building, having run out of missiles, the man rushed with his flamethrower ready, hoping to disperse the last of the super mutants. Behind him, he knew Carl, Adam and James had his back covered. The pyromaniac was several yards from reaching the mutant's defensive position when he suddenly stumbled and fell. The man landed on his front and coughed as he re-adjusted his helmet more comfortably on his face. Had the ground just...thrown him off?

He heard an ominous, deep thud that seemed to shake the earth. Then another. And another. And another. Sven looked up and saw to his great dismay that the largest, most vicious looking mutant he had ever seen had taken up the sky.

A behemoth had arrived.

"Fall back, fall back!" Sven was almost certain that was Paladin Galatius' voice. That certainly made a whole lot of sense. Sven picked himself up and made a mad dash for the protection of the buildings. Behind him, the behemoth threw a long, massive chain in the direction of where the Brotherhood knights had been. That chain had belonged to a crane once and now the behemoth was tossing it around like a flail! The heavy metal hook tore a deep gouge in whatever it touched.

Up on the building, James continued to fire deliberate, well placed shots of the armor piercing .308 rounds from the sniper rifle. He emptied a whole clip of the high energy bullets into the massive head of the super mutant behemoth and the monster had simply roared in anger. James glanced to the side to see Carl and Adam simply spraying their bullets, Adam with a Chinese assault rifle, Carl with the minigun. James put his attention back on the mutant. Glaring through the scope, James felt his heart sink when he realized that the behemoth had now turned its attention on Sven. The towering monster cocked his arm back and lashed out with the massive chain.

Sven jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the chain shredding him in half as the hook was dragged back towards the behemoth. If the regulators wanted to save their explosives expert, they were running out of time. James centered his crosshairs. Where could he possibly hit that monster?

White. The white of the eyes. James squeezed the trigger.

The behemoths free hand went to cover its face as it let out a titanic howl that seemed to rattle the buildings. The armed hand lashed back, sending the hooked chain back in the direction of the Brotherhood before returning. Sven was simply thrown to the side when the hook struck the ground with such force next to him. Another close call.

Wiping the rocks and pavement from him, the heavy demolitions man knew what to do. Reaching for his back, he pulled out the dual missile and mini-nuke launcher. Ignoring the painful spots where the pavement chunks had hit him and possibly penetrated his armor, Sven loaded one of the foreboding cylinders marked with the ominous radiation symbol into the launcher.

He had waited a long time for this moment.

The blinding flash and small atomic explosion tore through the roadways, once again knocking Sven off his feet and sending him on his back. He laid there for a few moments, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light. When they finally did, he leaned forward, propped up from the fuel tank on his back. The behemoth had taken the full explosion to the torso, leaving nothing but ruins of charred and vaporized flesh of its feet, arms and head. Everything else had simply disintegrated. Sven laid back and laughed. He laughed hysterically, he also cried. It took a few moments for his friends to reach him. James immediately was inspecting the damage.

"Sven, talk to me, how do you feel?" James demanded. Sven only continued to laugh.

"Dude, how hard did you hit your head?" the medic asked. Sven only shook his head through the hysterics.

"I see a few flesh wounds and you got a nasty gash on your side from asphalt chunks but nothing vital." the regulator announced. Carl looked at him.

"He'll be all right?" Carl asked.

"Judging from the way he's laughing, I'd say I should shoot him up with a stimpack and let him fire another nuke. Then he'll be the healthiest nut on the planet. Yeah, he'll live. Help him up and bandage the wound. I better check on the Brotherhood." Carl immediately pulled the still laughing Sven to his feet while Adam found some cloth to staunch the bleeding. Meanwhile, James made a dash towards the area the Brotherhood of Steel had been. He was relieved when a familiar soldier with power armor strode up to him. The Knight saluted him.

"Knight Hail. Good to meet you again, regulator." the Brotherhood knight greeted.

"You too, how are you guys? Anyone need help?" James asked quickly. Knight Hail shook his helmet from side to side.

"We only had one casualty. KIA. Died instantaneously." the knight reported.

"Oh...I see..."

--

Agent Daniel Siaga lurked through the empty hallways on the upper floors of the House. He knew he was getting closer to the girl. He could just feel it. Even better was the fact that there were so few people and now the rooms lacked doors. He could just simply peek in, posing as a curious wastelander. A newcomer.

He glanced down at the receiver that was discreetly hidden on his wrist like a watch. The little blue light was blinking so rapidly it nearly appeared to be a solid source of luminance. He was so close he was practically on top of the girl. Where was she? The Enclave Intelligence agent looked around and poked his head into one of the common rooms.

There. That small form on the bed. With a small blue light flickering.

Swiftly and yet without noise, Daniel swooped the girl up and clasped his hand over her mouth, muffling all sounds the girl could have made. He made a move towards the hallway when he noticed a large rat coming at him. Summoning every ounce of strength he had, he sent his foot forward and caught the creature. The large rodent bounced off the nearby wall and landed with a sorry squeak, the creature momentarily stunned. Daniel made his way down the hall.

"Drop her." a feminine voice commanded him. Judging by the soft green glow on the walls around him, someone had a plasma pistol trained at his neck. Just how much trouble did he have to go through in order to get this girl?! Deciding to bide some time, especially in a bad situation, Daniel dropped the petrified girl, the adolescent sobbing as streaks of tears went down her cheeks.

"Turn around." the voice ordered. Daniel grudgingly obeyed and found himself looking back at a stern looking woman with hair that just barely touched her shoulders. Besides the plasma pistol she had nearly poking his face, she was decked in the robes of the Brotherhood scribes. Of course, the Brotherhood just had to get to his objective before he did.

"Just what did you think you were doing?" the scribe demanded. Daniel said nothing, his eyes boring into her.

"Answer me!" the woman screeched.

Daniel's reflexes were remarkably swift.

In an instant the plasma pistol was spiraling another direction as he launched himself at the Brotherhood scribe. To her credit, she was able to get a few punches in, but only a few. To Daniel, they felt like nothing. Granted, they made him angry and although he decided he would finish this by strangling her, he would first make her suffer for a bit.

Forcing himself on her, pinning her to the floor, Daniel launched deliberate, vicious blows on the woman's face. Of course the woman was in pain but confound it, she refused to break, refused to look frightened. Granted, he had only hit her a few times. That's okay, it was amazing how much damage he learned to inflict in only a half a minute.

His malevolent intentions were cut short by the feeling of an extremely keen point poking at the back of his neck. He was almost certain he felt a trickle of his own blood run down from it.

"I've had a very long day and the last thing I want to see coming back is some prick beating a good friend of mine. You have several seconds to convince me that you were not planning what I thought you were planning and then you better pray that I don't slice your head in half." a very exhausted but deathly serious James panted.

--

Carl stood with his arms folded across his chest, his sledge hammer resting on its head with its handle up next to him. Adam obtusely tried to display some of the more threatening looking knives he had in his possession. Sven, still nursing an aching side where the pavement had tore a sizable amount of flesh from him, still nonetheless was able to display both a grenade and a deranged grin to match. In the center of the room, tied to a chair was Daniel. Belatedly, James entered carrying both his medical bag and his blade. The regulator spread out some of the contents of his health kit, noticeably from a small pouch he rarely drew from. The Enclave agent recognized the contents of the syringes, most strikingly the one that seemed to be full of radscorpion toxin. James started to speak to the bound man.

"Most doctors take the Hippocratic oath. They swear not to use their profession to bring harm on others." James explained. Daniel defiantly stared up at him, his gaze trying to penetrate the man's shaded glasses.

"I only know how to administer medicine and I have a good amount of experience working with sicknesses and wounded bodies. I never took the oath." James continued, kneeling down so he was eye level with Daniel and removed his glasses to reveal his threatening brown eyes.

"Convince me not to use every trick in the medical book not to make your last few moments hell on earth." James growled. Daniel sighed. He had had several long days to ponder just how much this mission meant to him. He also had spent the last few minutes furiously trying to come up with a deal.

"I'm an Enclave Intelligence agent. My mission was to recover the girl." Daniel admitted.

"What does the Enclave want with her?" Carl demanded.

"I was never told, I was only ordered to recover her." Daniel replied. Suddenly a dagger's blade was behind held up right under his chin. It was Adam.

"What did they tell you? Surely, you had to be told something." Adam stated darkly.

"I only know that when she was young, an Enclave scientist patrol found her and her parents. One of the scientist's readings went off. Her parents were killed but they realized that the girl was unique. Turns out, her neurology is a bit more sophisticated than the average human." Daniel explained.

"What do you mean?" James inquired.

"She may be a psionic. She was held under Enclave custody for a few years as they watched her develop. Eventually, that device on her neck was surgically implanted. They hoped that it would help her develop and focus her psionic abilities. We didn't know what they were, only that Research and Development hoped that she would develop something. We noticed that she never learned to talk, so we wondered if she could communicate telepathically. One day, the scientists decided to let her out into the wilds, see if she would do something out in the wastes that would give them a clue. You know, speak with the animals, rip a raider apart with her mind, call down lightning, I don't know." Daniel said.

"Then what happened?" Adam asked.

"The science team was mauled by Death Claws."

"Then how did the girl survive?" Sven asked.

"That's a mystery we'll never figure out. And yes, that's all I know." Daniel spat.

"Is there a way to get that off her neck?" Carl asked.

"You mean the device? Tell you what, I take the receiver off of it and you let me go free. I go back to my superiors, tell them I found her dead and we all get to live in peace. Deal?" Daniel asked. The regulators glanced at each other for a moment.

"Deal, but if we ever see you again, know that you're a dead man." Adam warned.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Daniel replied.

--

The Enclave agent could not remove the whole device, just the transmitter that relayed the girl's location. There was still an empty shell where the device was but at least it was no longer blinking. Daniel was promptly kicked out of the House, Sven and Adam making sure he left and was out of sight. Carl meanwhile tried to get Evelyn and the rat back in good humor by sharing some food he bought from The View.

Meanwhile, Kail quietly laid curled up in bed in a darkened common room. The few quiet whimpers that came from her throat was less from the pain and more from a feeling of shame. Yes, thank God the regulators had got back in time but what if they hadn't? Every member of the Brotherhood, including the Scribes, were trained in the arts of war. That included hand to hand combat. She had failed. She let herself get ambushed and she certainly would have lost if the men in the dusters had not shown up when they did.

It also did not help that it was not the first time she had been physically abused like that. She had a bad habit of attracting the attention of some of the more ruthless men on the _Defiance_. When she obviously had not succumbed to their advances, they vented their frustration upon her with their fists. This was probably why she was friends with Galatius but refused to let it be anything more. Did they all have to have iron coated fists in power armor?

"Kail?" a quiet voice asked. The woman had not noticed that someone had sneaked in and was kneeling next to the bed by her.

"I'm...not feeling so well." Kail whimpered.

"Of course you're not, no one would feel well after being beaten like that. Where does it hurt?" a familiar voice asked. Kail opened her eyes, well, her right one at least. Her swollen left one simply squinted.

"James?" the scribe asked quietly.

"I'm here." James replied, turning on his flashlight to bring some illumination in the dark room. He was still kneeling next to her and examined the damage to her face. There were a couple bruises but the black eye certainly grabbed the most attention. Still, there was nothing that was worrying which brought the regulator some relief.

"Did he hit you anywhere else? Any internal injury?" James inquired. Kail shook her head miserably.

"Now is not the time to be bashful. If he hit you anywhere else I will see that a female doctor tends to you." James stated sternly. Kail took a moment before shifting forward to wrap an arm around his neck while the unbruised side of her face came to rest on his shoulder.

"I promise, other than my face, I'm fine. Thank you for being so gentle." Kail whispered and at that her voice broke and she started to weep again. James meanwhile felt amazingly out of place, perhaps even a bit agitated. Surely, there had to be other people who could do a better job comforting her than he.

"You'll be all right. I'm-I'm sorry that he hurt you." James said awkwardly. After awhile, he gave up. The woman was comfortable around him, only the Lord knew why, and why should he push her away? What was having a puddle form on your duster to letting someone mourn how unfair the world was? Suddenly, James bit his lip.

"Um...Kail, there's something I got to tell you." James said carefully.

"What is it?" the scribe asked.

"...Paladin Galatius fell in battle today...I was told that he never felt a thing." James said. Kail slowly removed her arm from his neck and sat up in bed.

"...Oh..." was all she could manage.

"I'm...sorry, but I thought you should probably know." James offered.

"No, thank you. At- at least he died well." Kail said numbly. James silently winced at that phrase. Of course, that darn Brotherhood saying. The last thing these wastes needed were more noble men dying. No matter how well they died, it didn't change the fact that they needed every single precious life here now that lives so quickly got flushed down the toilet.

"I apologize. Good night." James said awkwardly and turned to leave.

He had nearly made it out the door when he heard sobbing. He stopped dead in his tracks and hung his head. Seriously, could he leave someone alone to wallow in their misery? Quietly dropping his bag and rifle next to the doorway, he slowly made his way back to the bed and sat on the side.

He paid no mind to how hard Kail held on to him or how long it took for her to sob herself to sleep. When it was over, when the woman finally collapsed back, her body too exhausted with grief, he gently brushed the dust off her face. Her left side had been bruised up, why should the dust from his coat stain the side that was still untarnished beauty?

--

On the _Defiance_, a solemn scribe carefully opened up the records and with an air of utmost respect, began to write. This was not an entry any scribe wanted to enter and yet it had to be done. This had to be recorded for the memory of the Brotherhood of Steel.

For on this day Paladin Galatius was killed in battle on the East side of New York City. Brotherhood of Steel Paladin who had fought in countless engagements, numerous battles and commanded the elite Iron Storm troops and served under the command of Star Paladin Tiberius, the Brotherhood solider had now come to the end of his service.

May his memory remain forever on the records.


	19. Chapter 19

_I am a harvester, my crop is few and far between_

_Occasionally they grow together, though that is a rarity_

_But they are a hardy crop and persist despite the harshness of the age_

_--_

_I am a farmer, the time is always near_

_Different are the seasons when these must be plucked_

_Old or immature, the hour is always at hand when they must be gathered_

_--_

_I am a Reaper_

_My name is Death_

_And I am very busy these days_

_

* * *

_

They had two days of happiness. Just 48 hours of relaxation and relatively few cares than what they were used to. Carl had kicked back and traded stories with the other residents, Sven had healed up and passed the time collecting lighters, even James and Kail seemed to spend a little more time chatting with each other though Kail had begun to scold him more and more to call her by her first name. Heck, even Evelyn seemed to brighten up from her usual stoic countenance and her rat became even more social with the locals.

He was so desperately enjoying his time with Marilyn that when it all came crashing down, Adam nearly ground his teeth to powder with the indignation of it all.

The Talons were back. It also sure didn't help that every now and then, he lost a single, bloody cap. Who steals just one cap!?

To Kail, it was a particularly frightening thing to watch. The people of the House had gotten a good idea on just how ruthless and underhanded Talon Company could be. With the traders and merchants coming back and breathlessly telling on how they nearly escaped with their lives and goods _again_ after _another_ run in with the black armored mercenaries, fear fell on the building residents. When would the Talons finally decide to strike the House? What did they want? What would happen if they strangled the House by blockading the caravan routes?

This fear in turn goaded the regulators to almost reckless behavior. First, the four men would go on day long search and destroy missions. However, as they figured out that more and more Talons were arriving, they split their forces again. Adam and Carl would ruthlessly mow down and/or assassinate whole squads while James picked off a couple Talons while Sven armed a trap that would finish off the rest of them. The House still talked when about they heard a dull boom go off in the middle of the day. James had warned Sven that a Talon patrol was approaching and he was to rig up a bomb to take out the squad. Sven instead rigged a whole truck to explode to a very loud effect.

However, as the days wore on, the Liberators split their forces one last time and now the men worked by themselves, covering a radius around the House to prevent any Talons from even getting to the building. It was risky but it was the only choice they had with the increased activity.

What in the world were they after?

Kail tried to push these worrisome thoughts out of her head by compiling the notes and data she had taken since her project started. She also found a renewed interest in the fact that Evelyn probably possessed psionic talents. Perhaps that was how she was able to befriend that rat so quickly. That rodent was now a regular at The View and no one cast a second glance when the large rat scampered up to May at the counter, dropped a single cap and received his fair share of scrap food before giving a polite squeak and scampering off again. Kail seriously wondered where that rat was finding all his caps.

No matter. The weather was still cool but at least it was no longer getting colder. Savoring the pale light from the overcast skies, Kail glanced over to find Evelyn sitting on one of the common beds, staring into space as always. Taking a break from her record keeping, the woman left her books and joined the girl on the mattress. The two sat side by side. Kail knew better but she could not help but try talking to the mute adolescent.

"Aren't you glad the Enclave isn't after you anymore? I'm not longer as worried about you as I used to be." Kail stated cheerfully. Evelyn continued to stare into the void. The scribe placed a hand on the girl's shoulder

"I really wish our friends would return, though. I do not like them working alone out there with the Talons around." Kail murmured.

_"They are still alive._"

"Well, of course they're still alive. I never once thought they were dead." Kail replied.

_"But you were worried, a black shadow in the back of your soul. You were worried over the possibility, a probable reality." _

"Well, I guess-" Kail suddenly stopped and glared at Evelyn.

"How- did you just speak? How are you talking?" Kail hissed quietly. She never once saw the girl's mouth move. Heck, it sounded like a different but very distinct voice was speaking in her own head.

_"I do not know. I cannot 'speak' as you call it like you and the others do. Lesser lives I can communicate with from afar. Others, such as yourself, I can only contact through touch and only when it pleases me. It usually doesn't." _Evelyn's reply sounded in Kail's head. The Scribe nearly thought she had lost it.

"How long have you been able to do this? Why didn't you try to speak with us before?" Kail asked.

_"It has been a long time, I discovered this by accident. I am often able to hear the presence of others, I can hear their emotions and feelings. Perhaps not their specific thoughts unless I touch them. I only wished to speak with you because you are kind, not like most others." _Evelyn communicated silently. Kail was still bewildered if a bit honored. It was odd hearing such a powerful voice in her head, a voice that no less belonged to a young girl that, let's be honest, appeared to be brain dead half the time in her blank gaze.

_"I miss them too, the four green men. They felt it a decency to give me a name. It was something I did not ask for but it was a gift they gave to me. This is why I miss them. It is nice to see them but I can still feel them. I know they are alive." Evelyn_ thought. Kail looked at her in astonishment again, she lost count how many times she had done that within the past two minutes.

"What do you mean you can 'feel them?'" the scribe asked curiously.

_"Can't you? Can you not feel when someone is around?" _

"O-only when they're very close...sometimes..." Kail answered weakly.

_"I must be able to feel others from a distance then, but then again, only those I choose to. They are good men. It would pain me to feel that they were to never come back or if they too felt pain. They too often inflict it upon themselves enough as it is." _

Unsure about this new discovery, Kail bit her lip as she thought furiously on the ramifications this brought. As she pondered, the rat appeared and stood up before them, sitting on its haunches. The large rodent began to groom his face again before going on to smooth out its large whiskers.

_"The creature finds you curious but pleasant." _Evelyn informed. Kail forgot that she still had her hand on the girl's shoulder. A new concern rising deep within her, Kail held Evelyn closer to her in an embrace. She even welcomed the large rodent to squeeze her leg through her robe in an awkward but sincere group hug.

"Evelyn, do me a favor." Kail stated.

_"What is it you wish?" _

"Keep this between just us, not until I find a way to explain it to Adam, James, Sven and Carl. You are not to reveal the way you speak to anyone. Understand?" Kail inquired.

_"You fear that revelation of this would lead to undesired consequences?" _

"Yes. Yes I do."

_"I shall honor your request, for I feel your concern and pure intentions." _

--

The Talon Company mercenaries were across the square. There were also four of them and he was by himself. Normally, this would be a slight cause for concern for Sven. At such long ranges, the only thing he had on him that would be effective was his missile and mini-nuke launcher and such rounds were expensive and hard to come by. You only used those for when you knew they would be effective, preferably against big or bunched up targets. This Talon Company squad was neither.

Fortunately, things had changed over the past few days.

Sven was able to pull a heavy incinerator from one of the dead Enclave troops back at the battle they had with the Behemoth. After some of his ceaseless modifications and tinkering, he was able to work it so that it could fire both a pellet of flame at long ranges or lay down a heavy carpet of napalm like his old flamer could.

It just didn't get any better than this.

The Talon soldiers were caught unaware when it seemed like the sky had just decided to start raining fire. By the time the survivors of the initial attack had set to running, it was too late. Sven could only chuckle, not because of the agony of his dying enemies, but because of the joyous sight it was that he could now toss wonderful fire further than he could have ever dreamed.

At least the Enclave contributed something useful.

--

Adam rushed as quietly as his boots would allow. His stealth boy shrouding him to his surroundings, the regulator assassin moved with deadly efficiency down the street. He spotted the Talons a ways off, a little more than he was expecting. Hurrying down from his perch several stories up on an abandoned building, the regulator had to move quickly if he was to remove this patrol before risking the intervention of another. Once again, there were four of them. Where did Talon Company get all the men they had and why were they throwing them all at New York all of a sudden?

Adam wondered what kind of frustration was boiling within the Talon Company commander in charge of these operations. To think that four men, just four regulators, were keeping back what appeared to be a whole army. Of course, he would not be so foolish to even dream of letting this shadowy commander get that information but still, it gave him some amusement.

Nearly upon the four men walking in a single file, Adam reached into coat and drew out two daggers. He was simply a trick of the eye under the veil of the stealth boy. The rearmost Talon turned around, mildly alarmed.

"Guys, did you hear something?" the Talon asked. He suddenly and violently groaned as something punctured his neck.

The rest of the group had little time to react, much less panic as they too were picked off one by one in rapid order. Only someone who had been through these motions before could have done this act with breathtaking speed and before thirty seconds could be counted, the last Talon hit the ground dead.

Several moments later, four bodies lay on the New York streets, their missing trigger fingers a subtle warning to any Talons that might come upon them. It was a warning they had better figure out quickly for a dark shadow was watching over the bodies on the balcony above.

--

Carl waited behind the blasted wreck of a car, its engine having exploded long ago. Now it made a decent cover to hide his presence. On the road behind the car was the main pathway to the rest of the city. If anything was going to go through his section, it would most likely come through here. Why go through anywhere else?

Other than the numerous Talon bodies littering the area in front of him, of course.

The regulator wondered why it was so easy, so much so it was nearly disturbing. However, there is a certain advantage given to those who must defend an area and simply wait for the attackers to come. He and his men knew the place like the back of their hand. The Talons did not. Furthermore, they had the advantage of choosing the positions they knew of and setting up before hand. The Talons were simply walking into waiting ambushes.

However, Carl also wondered how long this good fortune could last. Of course, if they played their cards right they could escape these ventures unharmed. Still, it had been a long time since any one of them worked alone and that was when they were assigned to small, low action areas. Regulators usually worked in pairs at least. Many of the Regulator leaders, Francis included, learned a long time ago that there were many benefits to sending regulators out in groups. It added to member survivability and helped to curb corruptions and even psychological breakdowns. It is a hard thing on a mind, the regular killing of other men, even if they were heartless and justice demanded that they be removed.

Of course, such questions would have to be asked back at the House. Was that movement up ahead? Darn his bad eyes and strange sight condition. Wait, he saw it definitely now, it was movement. Was that black armor they were wearing? More of them? Geez, where did they all keep coming from? Well, now they were distracted with gaping at all the fallen bodies of their comrades.

The last thing they ever did was gawk at a fusillade of rounds raining upon them.

--

In the darkened room of a wrecked building, a lone man stared through his his scope. Out on the streets before him, he could see several incoming roads from his perch. The marksman readied his rifle. The heavy metal bolts he had were perfect for long range attacks but they took time to manufacture and could not be readily replaced away from the vault. With that in mind, James found a way to convert the more plentiful railway spikes into a longer range projectile. At shorter ranges, railway spikes were devastating but could only hold their straight trajectory so long as they remained at a certain velocity. However, when covering them in a special sabot from cheap materials, the spikes would grip the rifling of the barrel, spinning them and giving them the necessary stability they needed to remain accurate at longer ranges.

James got back to watching the roadways. There were a few bodies out there already. Too bad they were all on different streets that the Talon Company mercs had no clue what was happening to their comrades on the other roads. In fact, another patrol was approaching. This time it was from the center roadway. James lined up his scope and took into account all the necessary factors.

Four shots later, four very dead Talon company mercs were on the ground, railroad spikes impaling their bodies giving a small warning to further Talons who might wander by. Of course, by the time they got close enough to investigate, it was woefully too late to avoid the same fate.

--

Kail waited near the entrance of the House to make sure all the men made it back safely. By the time the sun was starting to turn orange, Sven appeared first, followed by Carl and James. Adam was the last to arrive, still appearing to be the most driven of them. Seeing them all return was certainly a blessing and yet Kail could not help but still feel worried. All of them had a look in the back of their eye, an impatient drive that seemed to goad them on. Adam seemed to have it the worse. It appeared to boarder on...hatred, a passionate, unbridled hatred.

The men gathered around in the caravan delivery office when they were told they got a package. In the clerk's office, Adam took the sizable leather bag and dumped the contents on the counter. It was a very large pile of caps, the payoff for all those fingers they had been collecting. Adam immediately started dividing them up into four smaller piles while James read the note attached to it from Francis. The old man had written in his usual spartan fashion.

"Did you guys bloody get into a bloody war!? Signed: Francis Garrett." A smile forming on his face, James prepared the other sealed package of the fingers they were going to send on the caravan back to Francis to be traded in. On top of the package, James scrawled an equally simple note.

"Yes. A lot of Talon Company moving in. Enclave too. Wish it was only raiders these days. Signed: James Vanderbraun."

That settled, he looked over to find Adam already finished allotting everyone their share. Unfortunately, since the payment for the delivery back to them came out of their own caps (Francis could be a miser like that) it left an odd number of three remaining caps. The four men looked at them.

"So, rock, paper scissor, or do we play poker to decide?" Sven asked. Instead, Carl gathered them up and tossed them to the clerk.

"Keep the change." the giant told him and they all left.

Later that night, the four men relaxed to a game of poker, Marilyn and Kail also joining them. After one too many fights broke out over the loss and distribution of caps, the men gave up playing for caps and instead substituted other things, if only for place value. Tonight, they were playing with an old faded set of poker chips someone had found and donated to The View.

"I bet 300." Sven announced, placing the proper chips on the table. Currently, the cards were set at a two of diamonds, king of clubs and a seven of spades. Everyone else matched with the exception of Marilyn and Carl who both dropped out.

"So do you guys plan on going out again for more of you work?" Marilyn asked, placing a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"Don't you know it." Adam replied and dealt the next card. An ace of spades.

"I'll check." James stated.

"Raise it to 500. Don't you think you guys have been going a little hard lately, it's been risky enough that you are all working alone. Shouldn't you at least take a day to recuperate?" Kail suggested.

"I'll call." Sven said, throwing in his chips.

"No, those Talons must be dealt with. I'll match." Adam replied.

"Fold." James mumbled, throwing his cards down. He then had to push the rat's furry head down who was curiously trying to peek over the table. Apparently, the rodent had taken to following them everywhere.

"I'm just worried about your safety. All of you." Kail said. Adam threw down the next card. A king of hearts.

"Yes, but those Talons must be dealt with. Bad enough that they're threatening all of the merchants." Adam muttered.

"I'll wager 2000. That's understandable, Adam, but it does you no good if you're compromising yourselves when you could at least take a break or at least work together." Kail stated.

"I'll match." Sven stated.

"She's got a point." Marilyn told Adam.

"Same here. Look, with that many numbers we got to take the risk and all of us have come back safely. Look, they're just Talons and for the love of heaven, they killed Leslie. I'm going to make every single last one of them pay for that." Adam growled, throwing in his chips. They threw down their cards. Adam had a two pair, aces and the kings on the table.

"Beat ya." Sven announced, revealing he had three kings, one from his hand and two on the table. Kail raised a hand to stop him and threw down her cards.

"Full house."

She had a pair of twos in her hand.

--

Adam awoke the next morning and waited for a moment. He was indeed starting to feel the fatigue of days of endless work, the bloody kind. However, he could not abide the thought of the Talons out there. No, they had made this personal a long time ago. He started to leave the bed.

"Wait." Marilyn's quiet voice stopped him as she placed a hand on his chest.

"What is it?" Adam asked curiously.

"I understand you miss Leslie."

"Sweetheart, you know-"

"I understand, Adam, I really do. But it does her memory no good if you end up getting killed yourself. Please, be smart about this." Marilyn said. Adam nodded and left.

"All right."

Adam found Carl, Sven and James waiting for him out in the House compound just beside the gate. The sun had not risen yet and the chill still brought goosebumps to their arms. James popped a mentat just as Adam walked up to them.

"All right, we're all working as a squad for today." Adam announced.

"Good, because I just realized something." James stated.

"That there's a certain young woman begging for your attention up there?" Sven chided, pointing back at the House.

"Nah, he's still working on that epiphany." Carl chuckled.

"Very funny. No, we've been doing a good job keeping the Talons off the roads but we have not checked the metro tunnels. Besides, that's one of the first places we ran into them. We really should at least scout those out for a day, especially if we're all going to be working together." James pointed.

"Good idea." Carl nodded.

"All right. Let's just hope it doesn't end the way it did the last time I was down there." Adam grumbled.

--

The four regulators that bore the title of Liberators carefully walked through the cold as they approached one of the main entrances to the metros. It never bode well for them having to walk down the stairs towards the direction of the earth, the same direction graves were generally dug. It sure didn't help that they all understood that the metros were already seen as the catacombs for the feral ghouls, whenever they decided to kick the proverbial bucket.

The four men continued to creep up on the entrance. Keeping a low profile, they decided you just could not be too careful considering the circumstances. However, James stopped them having spotted something through his scope again.

"So what do you see?" Adam asked.

"Three of them...they look like super mutants and yet..." James chose his words carefully.

"And yet what?" Carl inquired.

"They look...sick." James reported.

"Sick? Since when was the last time you saw a sick mutant?" Sven asked.

"I'm telling you, there's something clearly wrong with them." James retorted.

"What? They can't look greener than they already do." Sven replied.

"No, but inflamed pink and patches of bloody red can't look healthy on anyone." James explained.

Within moments, the men were quietly sneaking in on the three malformed mutants. Adam could scarcely believe what he was seeing. Instead of the usual green, these mutants appeared to be completely muscle pink, the flesh pulpy and bloody, throbbing veins and arteries networked through their bodies while a patchwork of bones and claws formed a very sparse armor for these creatures. They did not even seem to have eyes.

"Do it!" Adam yelled. The creatures looked in his direction only to get mowed down by a storm of bullets from Carl's minigun. It was all over in seconds. The creatures dead on the ground, the men did the one thing they did naturally. They investigated.

"I tell you, that is nasty." Sven commented, dipping his finger into the wrecked flesh and bloodied fluids that remained of the corpses.

"Dude, don't touch that, you might sick or something." James scolded.

"He's already sick in the head." Carl said.

"Imagine him sick everywhere else or even sicker in the head." James muttered.

"Hey, me and all my explosives are still here." Sven grumbled.

"Dude, some thing isn't right about this, is it just me or is that stuff moving...oozing?" Adam observed. Sure enough, the tissues and fluid seemed to be flowing in one common direction from all the three former mutants.

"Hey, look. Tubes or something." Carl pointed. Thick, sinewy arteries seemed to be guiding the the muscles and tissue back.

"Or umbilical cords...or something." James said, slashing his blade down to sever the artery. Immediately, the fluids stopped flowing and the grotesque puddle stopped right were it was only to settle and stagnate.

"I tell you, that's creepy." Sven said quietly.

"If you think it's creepy then we can safely conclude it must be." James replied. Suddenly, they heard the sick sound of sticky tissue slithering through tight spaces. They looked at the door to see all of the meaty tendrils retreating through the door cracks.

"Actually...that was creepier." Sven said.

--

Sven and then Carl were voted to lead the way this time. The two men found the excuse that they carried "heavier weaponry" extremely lacking. Regardless, the men carefully stalked through the metro walkways with utmost caution, filed in a single line. Carl lead the way, illuminating their path with the flashlight attached to the side of his minigun. Sven was right behind him with his new heavy incinerator primed. Behind them was Adam and James. The medic himself popped two mentats. He was really going to need to be alert now.

"Man, look at the walls. Those tube things..." Carl pointed out. Sure enough, in two, threes or fours, the tendrils and arteries lined the walls of the metro tunnels.

"Just...try to ignore them for now." James ordered.

"You're the medic, what do you think is going on here?" Adam demanded.

"I haven't a bloody clue." James snapped.

"Need a bigger clue?" Sven asked as they arrived at the crosswalk overlooking the metro tracks.

"I don't care to figure it out." James replied.

"Oh, I think you might want to." the pyromaniac said, point down the towards the tracks at the bottom of the stairs. The four men looked over the railing.

"Oh, God save us." James blathered.

Filling the entire track and even the ground floor, a river of blood, fluids, tissue and flesh literally flowed through the tunnel. The occasional bone and claw could be seen through the biological muck while darker, spindly lines suggested nerves systems while thicker lines highlighted veins and arteries.

"Look at the sides." Adam pointed. Filing the banks of the miry, tissue stew was a horrific crust of discarded items. Dirt, rocks, scrap metal and weapons but even more forebodingly were the discarded articles of clothing. It seemed to form a horrible refuse heap resembling some terrible beach on a literal river Styx.

"I think don't need to worry about Talons coming through here." Carl said, pointing out several black shapes.

"Those look very much like Talon Company armor." Adam stated.

"Wait a minute..." James stated, observing the situation carefully.

After a moment of closer observation, he could see that the armor still had their occupants inside it. To Jame's horror, he watched as the skin and muscle were simply sloughed off into the stew, the bones coming off to be dispersed into the river, the nervous system sunk deeper, out of sight to the bottom of the river.

"Whatever this is, it's been engulfing everything down in the metro tunnels into itself." James announced.

"Say what?" Carl demanded, more out of astonishment.

"Think of it. More than just Talon Company would use the metro tunnels to travel. Raiders use them, super mutants, ghouls and mole rats, heck a lot of those practically live in these tunnels. They're all being...molded into this...thing, becoming part of it." James speculated.

"Sven...I really think its in everyone's best interest if you blew this up." Adam said.

"I got an idea." Sven announced and placed his backpack down. Immediately, he pulled out the gas tank from the backpack as well as his final mini-nuke. Pulling out some super glue, he also started plastering the spare land mines, grenades and homemade explosives he had to the tank. He attached one final device to the whole explosive conglomerate before standing back up.

"I'm arming this thing for a minute to detonation. Help me throw it over. As soon as it's over, as much as it promises to be a pretty sight, don't look for it. Run like heck." Sven instructed. The others nodded their acknowledgment and gathered around the super bomb.

"3...2...1!" the men yelled in unison and dropped the massive explosive over the side and into the river. They immediately rushed off to take cover further up the metro system. There was napalm, a mini-nuke and a massive stash of explosives worth over a thousands pounds of TNT on that device.

And it all went off in one massive, deafening roar.

Cautiously, the men returned to inspect what had happened. The walkway had simply been blown in two so they could not even go back to their original position. However, they were able to get a better view of the situation now with a massive hole over the tracks.

"Think that did it?" Adam asked. Sven glanced at him horrified.

"Think? It better! That was almost everything I had." Sven said.

"Then I don't think you're going to like this." Carl stated.

Despite a smoking crater, the river of tissue and blood was slowly starting to ooze back together. Within moments, it was as if nothing had ever been done. The horrific, bloody flow continued unabated once again. The regulators were completely at a loss with what to do.

"We're...going to need more explosives...a lot more." James commented.

"I can't carry anymore! We're going to need a whole army!" Sven complained.

"It's never easy, is it?" James grumbled.


	20. Chapter 20

_According to the Inferno, the last circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers._

_Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus, is said to spend eternity being gnawed by the Devil Himself._

_For thirty pieces of silver, he bought a lousy deal for an eternal destiny _

_

* * *

_

Then men rushed through the cold and the darkening skies that brought the dusk. The last arc of the sun had finally disappeared behind the horizon and now only the residual light remained overhead. Regardless, despite the chill and the fatigue that was starting to wear on them, the men jogged back to the House, the fear of what they had just seen continuing to drive them on.

"James, come on, you have to have something up there in that calculator of yours. Haven't you read anything on this?" Adam demanded breathlessly.

"Yeah, I looked up 'Creepy river of blood and flesh creature' in the Vault's library. It was under 'Things that go bump in the night' section. No! Why would there be any literature on this!?" James snapped sarcastically.

"Do you at least have an idea?" Adam inquired. James popped a mentat as he furrowed his brows. Between all that and running, he was finding it difficult to multi-task, especially with the fatigue starting to eat at him.

"Well, there's tons of mutations going on, I mean, the ants, rats and bugs are bigger than they used to be-"

"That's no bug in there." Carl interrupted.

"I know, but the principle is the same. Throw in mutations happening across the board, viruses and bacteria included, and something must've happened." James speculated.

"That means we can still blow it up, right?" Sven asked. This time, no one sighed.

"If there's anything I learned from you Sven, it's the fact that if you want to make something disappear, you just got to find a big enough bomb." Adam replied. The men continued to trot as Sven frowned deep in thought.

"Guy, how many mini-nukes does it take to make a full nuke?" Sven finally asked.

That time the men sighed.

--

By the time the men reached the square of the House, they halted just before they left the edge of the building lines. Something was wrong. There were too many men outside of the House. To make matters worse, they wore the wrong color.

Watching from a distance, the four men could only watch in dismay as numerous squads of the Talon Company men assembled outside the House walls. Their dark shadows moving in the night, the only thing the men could be sure of was that they were drastically outnumbered.

"Guys, there's no way we can break this." Adam declared as they watched from a safe distance.

"Not even with my minigun could I mow enough guys down in time." Carl agreed.

"I used up most of my explosives back there." Sven grumbled.

"Guys wait, there's some shouting over there...it sounds like Supervisor Ramirez." James shushed.

Sure enough, two men were carrying a hollered conversation from opposite sides of the House walls. It took awhile for the men to figure out what they were saying but eventually they were able to pick up the discussion.

"We're looking for four regulators, some call them the Liberators. We got a price on them. If you turn them over quietly, we promise not to ruthlessly burn this place to the ground." a voice used to being in charge yelled.

"I tell you, they're not here!" a voice that sounded like Ramirez's yelled back.

"And if I were to have my men blow down this door, would we find them there? You wouldn't want to know what I'd do if I were to find out you were lying to me this whole time." the Talon's voice hollered back.

"They were never here and I will not consent to you searching this place. Don't make idle threats either, you couldn't blow this door down even if you wanted to." Ramirez yelled. There was a short pause.

"I'm in a good mood tonight but if I ever see four green dusters hanging around here, know that I will turn this building into a smoking crater!" the Talon yelled back. The regulators could only glance at each other for a moment.

"Great, now we can't even get back to the House!" Carl growled.

"Ramirez pretty much sold us out, though I understand why, he's got to protect the people in there." James mumbled.

"So what do we do now?" Sven asked.

"We go back to our zones where we kept watch during the day by ourselves." Adam replied.

"Good idea." Carl agreed.

"We'll meet back at Harlem back at that old super mutant fortress we exploded before we got here. We'll figure out what to do from there in the morning. In the meantime, just stay at your zones tonight and stay low." Adam ordered. James reached into his bag and pulled out several doses of stimpacks.

"Take these just in case." James stated, handing out the vials of medicine.

"I also kept four land mines, just in case." Sven added, handing each one of them one of the ordnances.

"All right, back at Harlem in the morning. Stay safe, gentlemen." Adam ordered and from there they parted ways.

--

Watching from an upstairs room, Julia Kail could only wonder what had become of the four regulators. No one could blame Ramirez for lying but now the regulators could no longer rake refuge in the one place where they would readily be safe. Come to think of it, why hadn't they returned today? They usually came back earlier when they were together. Thinking carefully, she glanced at the large rat that remained faithfully beside her, sniffing at what must have been an interesting section of the wall.

"Come on, Rat." Kail stated, walking away from the window, the rodent belatedly following after her, chittering.

Getting back to the common rooms, Kail found Evelyn also watching out the window although hers was still that usual, lifeless stare. The scribe wondered how someone who probably had the most powerful mind in all of New York could appear so empty headed. It was one of life's paradoxes that she did not feel like chasing tonight.

"Evelyn?" Kail asked, placing both hands on the girl's shoulders. Evelyn simply looked up at her.

_"You are worried again. You wish to know where the four men are." _Evelyn thought.

"Yes, are they all right?" Kail whispered, not wanting to risk anyone overhearing what looked like her one sided conversation with the girl.

_"I still feel them out there. They are alive but their presence is surrounded by a flood of others, all of which intend them harm." _Evelyn reported.

"We're going to have to go with them remaining safe. Please, Evelyn, if you ever sense that they get in trouble, let me know. I'll figure out something to do." Kail stated.

_"I will let you know." _

--

Adam cautiously made his way towards the road that was his designated area. There were a few houses in there that he could take shelter in. He had no clue what to do about the cold but at least the roof overhead would keep out any irradiated frost fall they might have overnight.

Quietly stepping through the alley that would lead him to his spot, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Something was wrong. He could practically smell it. There was no moon out. Although the night was clear, the stars did little to illuminate what was going on and he did not dare activate his flashlight. That would be begging for trouble. With utmost caution, he stuck his head right outside the alley way.

His vision exploded in stars when a fist connected with his face.

Momentarily stunned, Adam looked up to see several men, their bodies obviously shrouded in combat armor. He also had a really good feeling they were all Talon Company men. This was not a good sign.

Reaching into his coat, faster than an eye could follow, he fished out a throwing knife and threw it deep into the man that had punched him. He tried to get back to his feet only to find himself getting pummeled with repeated blows and kicks. At least one man had a baton.

In the small part of his mind that was ignoring the sheering pain, he wondered why they had not simply killed him yet. Granted, anyone would want to exact revenge on someone who did a very good job killing so many of their comrades and yet there were better ways to torture someone these days than just fists, boots and clubs. Most barbarians in this day and age preferred the gushing of blood to the sight of bruises.

"That's enough." A voice ordered. A Talon belatedly and defiantly got in one last kick. Adam barely let himself relax from the defensive ball he curled himself into.

"You're one of those regulators we've been looking for. 10,000 caps on your head. I've never seen a price like that for anyone." the lead mercenary exclaimed. Adam winced as a light was shined into his face.

"Even better too, you're Adam Anders. I was hoping we would run into you." the mercenary continued. Adam simply let his face fold into a scowl.

"Word on the street says you have a head for caps. I think you're a reasonable man and they say that money talks. You willing to talk, Mr. Anders?" the mercenary offered. Adam spat the blood from a busted lip at the Talon's boot.

"What are you offering?" Adam growled.

"A way to end this all, tonight. And the best part, you'll get to walk off free. Alive." The Talon offered.

"You got a price?" Adam demanded. The Talon grinned.

There are precious few things money can't buy.

--

Carl huddled into the corner of his little alley, preferring this space to the buildings. At least this way he knew that nothing could sneak up behind him due to the brick wall on his back. Besides, most people knew you just shouldn't stick you head into a dark alleyway. Wondering how it all came down to this, the miserable regulator suddenly perked up when he thought he heard a sound.

Squinting hard into the night, he immediately regretted his eye condition. Just why it was when an object became still he had a harder time seeing it was a mystery to him. Why he could figure out there was a stool sitting there at a bar but when a mercenary suddenly decided to stand still he started to blend into the surroundings was utterly baffling to him.

What was even more baffling was the blow to the head he got out of nowhere.

Carl roared in anger and suddenly found himself surrounded at all sides from Talon mercs. Too late to grab his minigun, Carl reached back only to feel the sledgehammer pulled from his back. Launching himself at his foes like a human wrecking ball, he managed to knock the wind out of the two men he was able to catch when he landed on the ground.

Alas, even the giant can get overwhelmed by an army of ants and Carl was very much surprised when a boot made everything white for a brief moment before everything went black.

--

Sven curled up in the dumpster he had commandeered for a hiding spot. The idea was not as crazy as a person might think it to be. First of all, who looked through dumpsters these days? He had cleaned this one out anyway, not that there was much in it to begin with, and he had rigged the land mine and hid it under some rubbish just a few yards in front of the dumpster which was on the end of an alleyway. If anyone did decide to go snooping through there, they would have to walk over the land mine first which would alert the regulator. However, that brought him back to his first question: who goes looking through dumpsters these days, anyway?

Content with the marginal protection from the elements, wind chill and the added bonus of an unusual hiding spot, Sven threw on some discarded rags to give him a little warmth. He was still a little unhappy with losing most of his explosives and fuel to blowing up that horrific river to no effect but they would meet tomorrow and he could vote to resupply back at the Vault. It would all be all right.

He suddenly heard something heavy fall on the dumpster. Momentarily, alarmed, Sven got up and tried to push the door open only to find that it would not budge. Something heavy had been thrown on it. Sven grunted and tried harder only to feel the dumpster move under him. Something was moving the dumpster! Sven calmed down for a moment and tried to listen. He could hear voices.

"I'm just glad we found where that land mine was and we got to disarm it quietly."

"Good, awesome. Now, let's just get this back to the headquarters. For Talon Company, men!"

--

James was settling back on the old wooden floor of an abandoned building, one of the many on his block. He was on the second floor, the distant stars shone through the window as he glanced out on the still night. He had placed his land mine on the landing of the stairs that led up to this floor and it was the only way up to this room. He had his back covered.

Slowly starting to feel fatigue enclose around him, Jame's let his eyes start to close and for a moment, he tried to drift off to sleep. However, an odd sound forced him to open his eyes again and look around. His rail rifle and bag were right next to him so he could grab them at a moment's notice. However, the noise did not occur again so he decided it was just the sound of the ancient house slowly decaying.

Drawing his duster closer around him to ward out the cold, the regulator drifted back to trying to obtain sleep. He closed his eyes again and tried to find rest.

The land mine exploded.

Immediately on his feet, James heard voices and footsteps approaching. Deciding he was not in the best situation, James immediately picked up his stuff and unslung a rope that he kept next to the window. The man quickly went out the window and lowered himself down the rope before pulling out his laser rifle. The medic tried to figure out from which direction to expect a problem.

"Drop it." a voice ordered. James abruptly turned around to find five Talon Company men aiming their weapons at him. Before he could formulate a plan, he heard footsteps approach him from behind. He was surrounded.

"I won't tell you again. Drop your weapons." The Talon merc told him. Begrudgingly, James dropped his two rifles, shotgun, blade and medical bag from his possession before raising his hands to the air.

The Talon Company men insisted they rough him up for a bit before finally binding his hands and carrying him and his stuff away.

--

About two hundred years ago, the Museum of Natural History was a place of learning and wonder. People from all over the country would come to visit and be amazed at the numerous exhibits and displays they had. Drop several atomic bombs and turn the clock ahead two centuries and now the building is just a very spacious ruin. It was also currently serving as the Talon Company's makeshift headquarters for New York City.

In one of the rooms, Adam sat facing the commanding officer of the Talons in the city. The Talon mercenary refused to give his name and Adam couldn't say he much cared either way. He still had to live with the consequence of what he had just done.

"Of course, I hate the idea of losing out on 10,000 caps, but with the way you men were burning through my troops, I might consider it a way of cutting losses." the Talon grumbled. Adam simply stared back.

"I believe the agreement was that you get to keep your ear and in exchange for us turning in some murdered sap's ear in place of yours, you're going to be the one to both torture and execute your old comrades in the other room." the Talon recited. Adam simply nodded.

"That done, you are to get your 10,000 caps and get clear out of this city. I don't ever want to see you back here again." the Talon ended.

"You have my word." Adam said quietly.

"All right, well I believe you have some butchering to do if there's nothing else to be said here." the commander growled.

"Actually yes, I do have a question." Adam replied.

"Make it quick."

"Who in the world pays ten grand for the ear of one regulator, and keeps that price for another three more?" Adam demanded. The Talons started laughing.

"What? You think you can't blow down _The_ Wall and not upset the slavers? Those 40,000 caps were paid from everyone, numerous slaver groups, even the guys from The Pitt. Add the fact that you Liberators were doing such a good job bringing back order to this place, something had to be done." the Talon sneered.

"They sent a whole army, just for us?" Adam inquired in disbelief.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself. First they sent us to take care of the super mutants. However, after The Wall went down and they figured out the rumors were true, more troops were funneled here to take care of you guys. Never met a more troublesome group of men in my life." the commander spat.

"I see..." Adam muttered.

"But of course, the caps always win in the end, right? Now, get out of my sight, you still have your end of the deal to take care of."

"Right." Adam mumbled, getting out of his chair and slowly walking towards the room where the other regulators were. Betrayal is never really a sweet thing. He also didn't appreciate the four Talons escorting him to make sure he did his job. The regulator duster he wore around him felt suddenly unnatural as well.

--

Sven, Carl and James stood forlornly, their backs to the wall as their hands were shackled behind them. Even when all of them finally came to they did not say much at all. After all the work they had done, all the Talons they had eliminated, their good fortune had finally turned on them. It was a bit too much to handle.

"Wait a minute, anyone seen Adam?" Carl asked, spitting some blood out of his mouth from his busted lip.

"I don't see him here." James replied.

"Then maybe we still have hope, maybe he can get us out of here." Sven stated hopefully. Suddenly, the door slammed open and they saw Adam walk in, four Talons with assault rifles behind him.

"Nevermind." Sven muttered.

The three regulators were especially surprised when Adam walked right over and hit Sven across the face.

"Ow! Dude, what was that for!?" Sven demanded. Adam said nothing except to hit him again.

"Adam, what the bloody hell are you doing!?" Carl demanded.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Adam replied, landing a blow into Sven's abdomen.

"Wait...you mean..." Carl suddenly became quiet.

"You betrayed us!? You sold us out!?" James screeched.

"Glad you figured it out when you did, James." Adam muttered, bringing an uppercut into Carl's chin.

"My gosh, it was always about the caps, wasn't it?" James growled. Adam turned on the marksman.

"You know me a little too well." Adam replied, his fist sounding across Jame's face.

"You....really...shouldn't punch a crazy guy." Sven interrupted, his voice hoarse from the pain.

"Don't worry, Sven, I'll make sure to set you afire when I have to kill you." Adam retorted. Sven looked awfully conflicted about that.

"Screw that, I'll set myself on fire rather than let you do it." Sven retorted.

"Suit yourself." Adam replied, landing another blow on James. They suddenly heard the ominous sound of Adam unsheathing one of his blades.

James could only watch as the blade slammed into his own chest.

Clenching his jaw shut, James waited for the blood to erupt from his lungs and into his throat but it never happened. He thought he was being impatient but his quick, pained breaths should have sent up a cough of that red fluid by now. Slowly, he opened his eyes and glanced at the knife again that was still in his chest, Adam's hand still wrapped around the hilt. James suddenly figured it out.

"You idiot! You're too high above the lungs. Again!" James shouted in his tormentor's face. Adam slowly answered him very deliberately. James suddenly realized exactly what Adam was doing.

"I. Know."


	21. Chapter 21

_They say that the only certainties in life are death and taxes_

_And some have said that life is nasty, brutish and short_

_That was before the bombs fell_

_You have to wonder what they would say now_

_

* * *

_

Deep beneath the city, a new animal was forming within the metro tunnels. A virus furiously was working within the tissues and corpses it was given, restlessly trying to stop the former, natural reaction of the different genomes to reject each other and trying to seam them together. Some parts of the DNA were not so successful, hence the bleeding and lack of form but overall the experiment of the deadly new FEV strain was a success. Throwing together the biological material of mole rats, radroaches, radscorpions, dogs and the simple, primitive part of the brains of feral ghouls, the only thing they had left, the virus still had plenty to work with. Muscles, tissue, toxins, claws, bones, exoskeletons, simple immune systems, it was enough to build a strong creature. The former brains gave a collective instinct to survive, drive to aggression and the knowledge of a general area of New York with the gathered information of the reanimated minds that were being molded into one.

However, something else was added with the brains of the mercenaries, super mutants, raiders, Enclave and the occasional wastelander that was unfortunate enough to land within the mire.

Things called "emotions" and "passions" were being added to the collected information. It added a new drive to the creature. Hate, anger, violence, spite, greed, avarice, lust and pride, the repeated patterns of behavior of the majority of the humans that were assimilated in far outweighed the few if any good souls that had learned differently and were unfortunate enough to get caught in this biological stew.

Growing with each passing day, the former human agendas were slowly starting to change the drives of the creature. No longer did it need to survive. It needed to do more than just that. It just had to wait just a while more...

--

Adam and James stared at each other for just a split moment but it took an agonizing eternity. Carl and Sven could only watch, still not believing what they were seeing. How in the world could Adam had given them up for a few caps and was Adam seriously going to butcher each one of them before their eyes? Could Adam do it?

James felt rather than saw Adam's fist clench around the dagger that was painfully burning in his shoulder. Adam meanwhile steeled himself for what he was about to do. The Talons all watched smugly on. James meanwhile felt a cold, lead ball form in his stomach. It was his belief that no one should die slowly and here he was staring down that very possibility happening to him.

Adam wrenched the knife out of Jame's flesh and the man screamed with the agony that burned through him. The blade flashed through the air and again they heard the sound of steel slamming into flesh.

Everyone was surprised to see that the blade was actually between the eyes of one of the Talon men. Still yelling, James' voice echoed through the walls as Adam moved faster than most could follow. Two throwing knives left his coat and lodged in the throats of two Talon men. The last one moved to react only to have his neck snapped. James finally stopped yelling as the last body fell.

"Okay. I'm royally confused." Carl announced. Adam retrieved his blades from the bodies.

"Sorry I had to do that to you guys but I had to keep the act up." Adam apologized, quickly starting to pick the locks on their shackles.

"Sorry?! You stabbed my shoulder!" James complained.

"At least it wasn't your lung, and thanks for covering for me with all that screaming to mask the noise." Adam retorted.

"You stabbed my shoulder!" James reiterated.

"So why did you do this?" Carl inquired. Adam looked at him.

"Don't you get it? By doing this I put us right in the center of their base of operations and if you had not noticed, their armory is right behind the door next to us. Your stuff is in there. You guys get your stuff back, we take some of their weapons and we destroy the Talons right here, tonight. They even let us in willingly through the door too." Adam explained.

"That's...brilliant." Carl replied, the light coming on.

"Other than the hitting part." Sven grumbled.

"Oh, you'll live. Now get your incinerator." Adam ordered, unshackling the pyro.

"Well, could we agree on a signal in case you decide to go playing on us again in the future? Or did you really sell us out and change your mind?" Carl asked. Adam glared at him again.

"They killed Leslie. No amount of caps can pay for that." Adam stated darkly.

"Right. So how about a signal?" Carl inquired.

"Hmmm...how about I stab James in the shoulder?" Adam offered sarcastically

"That works." Carl and Sven said in unison.

"I'm going to make it very clear to you that I hate you right now." James growled.

"Seriously, I'm sorry, James." Adam apologized. Free of his shackles, James pumped a syringe of med-x into his otherwise benign wound. He was going to need stitches but that was all part of the job. He popped a mentat to clear his mind as well.

"So we cool? I'm really sorry I had to rough you guys up a bit, but at least now we can remove the Talons." Adam explained. He was met with the noise of the men raiding the armory.

"We'll be cool when we turn every single Talon in here to ash." Sven replied with a chuckle.

"You're saying that the temperature will cool down by first turning it up?" James restated, pointing to the failed logic.

"Don't question the system, that's just how it works." Sven replied, lighting up the incinerator.

--

A Talon soldier reported to his commanding officer on the main floor of their headquarters. His commander gave him a suspicious eye as the black armored combatant gave his report.

"Sir, we have an attack outside the compound."

"Who is it?" the commander asked.

"Don't know and for now it seems like it's only one person but we can't be sure. How shall we proceed?" the soldier asked. The commander rolled his eyes.

"Just kill them." the commander grumbled.

"Understood, sir."

Before the soldier could turn, they heard a tremendous boom as the sound of two doors flying off their hinges hit their ears. The men stared in horror as the last sight they ever wanted to see greet them. Storming from the room, the regulators emerged, their guns blazing. A storm of belching fire, flying 5mm rounds and railroad spikes swept the Talon headquarters. The Talon soldier simply flew flat on his back, a railroad spike through his head. Before the commander could react, a terrible force took him off his feet. He found himself staring into Adam's angry eyes.

"Trust me, you're a dead man, just not yet." Adam growled.

Meanwhile, Carl and Sven swept through the building, the bewildered Talons completely taken off guard. Carl had raided every stitch of minigun rounds in the armory and were putting them to good use. While droves of the Talons were simply being shredded by Carl's minigun, Sven was able to send fire at promising targets, effectively creating their impromptu funeral pyres.

James went to clear the soldiers outside who were apparently already in the middle of a fight. Nailed, literally, from behind, the soldiers collapsed with railroad spikes sticking out from their heads or chest. James rarely, if ever, missed. He kept his rifle ready just in case this enemy of his enemy was not necessarily his friend. He glanced at a lone figure with two pistols approaching him. He could scarcely believe his eyes.

"Kai-, er, Julia!?" James blathered. One could hardly blame the regulator for barely recognizing Julia Kail. She had shed her Brotherhood scholarly robes for the functionality of her combat armor. She holstered two plasma pistols at her hips.

"What are you doing here?" James inquired.

"I'd ask the same of you, are you all right? Is that blood on your coat?" Kail asked in concern.

"Uh, yeah, long story. Basically, Adam hatched a plan to get rid of the Talons tonight. Don't worry about my shoulder, I patched it up. How did you know to look here?" James asked. This time it was Kail's turn to get flustered.

"Um...well, let's just say Evelyn knew where to look for you guys and she knew you were all in trouble so I figured I'd find a way to rescue you guys." Kail admitted.

"Wait, how did Evelyn even talk to you? She can talk now? And how did she know where we were? And you actually thought about taking all the Talons on by yourself?" James interrogated in clear disbelief. Kail shrugged.

"I'll admit it wasn't my most thought out plan and the thing with Evelyn...that's a little complicated to explain." Kail sighed. James looked in the distance to see Evelyn and the rat peeking their heads around the corner of a building.

"Well, judging by the lack of gunfire coming from the building, I think you can start explaining." James stated.

Suddenly, Sven, Carl and Adam arrived at the entrance. Sven was grinning ear to ear while Carl's minigun was slowly billowing smoke from each of its barrels. No one asked about why Adam was grotesquely covered in blood. He tossed each of the regulators a rather large sack of caps.

"Here, the price that was on your heads." Adam replied.

"Man, someone is going to be pissed when they find out the money they paid to kill us was taken by us and all the Talons were killed." Carl stated.

"Well, they might just try to restart their operations here." James suggested, resting his rifle on his shoulder.

"Well...I left them a little warning." Adam muttered.

Back inside the building, the commander's heavily punctured body lay underneath a large message scrawled on the walls. Written in the Talon Commander's own blood, the warning left little to the imagination.

**"This place has been Liberated. Talon Company: Leave New York City."**

Back on the streets, the four regulators joined Kail, Evelyn and the rat. The seven seemed to walk solemnly, Kail taking Evelyn's hand to keep her close. It was awhile before anyone said anything.

"So we're heading back to the House?" Sven asked.

"No. We're going back to the Vault." Adam replied.

"The Vault?" Carl asked.

"Yes. We're going to hang low for awhile. We need to re-supply, perhaps figure a few things out. I'm getting tired of this city." Adam grumbled.

--

There were a good many things that were overwhelming her. It is hard to go through life normally when you can hear, you can feel, the heartbeat, pulse, life, of a good many things around you for miles. Sure, she could shut out a few of them but still, you might as well try to shut out the individual instruments of an orchestra playing a smattering of symphonies. You could not stop the overall noise.

To the side of her, she could hear and feel the lives of the few good people she had ever met. It was an interesting melody, one that she could rarely hear. Yes, they had their sour notes of pain, and the minor discord of broken emotions, negative feelings and unwanted memories and yet their souls shone different among the others she could hear. The creature beside her? Well, it was just friendly.

But under her feet she could hear a sea of terror, a thing that should not be. A horrific melding of tormented living and twisted goals, she could hear it and its evil designs. They had little time left and she was certain of its wicked intents. Could something stop it? Well, yes, but that would be difficult.

Could she live a normal life, having been thrust in these circumstances? Her life was never normal to begin with, stolen from her parents, living as an experiment, existing as something to be abused and exploited by the roving barbarians that found her and took advantage of her exterior helplessness.

What can be said, what can be done, when you hear the echoes of destiny beckoning to you?

--

It was just a short time after dusk when the regulators made it back to the long awaited sight of home. However, before they made it to the mouth of the cave, Carl announced that he felt like taking a walk along the Hudson first. He claimed he would only be gone a short while.

Adam, Sven, James, Kail, Evelyn and the rat continued on towards the cave but Adam stopped short when he noticed something off to the side of the entrance. Looking over, he saw the small white cross stuck in the ground, marking a not so fresh grave. His shoulders noticeably slumped just a little. The others decided to go on without him.

Adam ignored the sound of the Vault door opening as he found himself kneeling right in front of the white cross. He did not know why but he suddenly if lightly placed his hands on each of the arms of the white marker. No longer able to fight the storm of emotions, he realized he could feel some water starting to form at the bottom of his eyes. His voice was weak.

"Sweetie, I...they're dead now...they can't hurt you anymore. Well, they couldn't hurt you for awhile...but now...wow, they're dead, sort of like you but, no, I still carry your memory...no one does for them. Sweetheart I- I'm sorry...I'm sorry I was too late...I'm sorry you died like this...I-"

It had been several long months and Adam wept for every day that had past since that terrible night.

--

Sven tirelessly started looking for materials to build a new fuel tank with. He had a few things laying around his small workshop. Truth be told, he had little motivation to go building another fuel tank at the moment. Looking around him, he became acutely aware of all the explosives he had accumulated. Most days it would cause him to cackle but today, right now, no, it just didn't. Sitting back dejectedly in his chair, he pulled out his old zippo lighter and hit the switch.

The large flame it produced did not bring any feelings of glee to him. Perhaps it was one of those day. It had been a long time since one of these had happened. He wasn't always like this. There were some days when he was his normal self. Truth be told, he wasn't sure what normal was anymore. What is "normal" now out here in the irradiated waste of the post-apocalypse?

--

James and Kail had put Evelyn to bed in one of the many spare bed rooms the Vault had. The guys had never figured out just how many occupants the Vault was made for but it certainly could hold more than seven lives. The rat had found a section of floor that must have appeared more comfortable than the others, at least to its eyes, because it chose that area to curl up into a fuzzy ball and sleep.

Kail helped James stumble back to his lab where he placed his weapons in their proper place and unloaded his equipment. He immediately started to boil the proper chemicals to produce the medicines they needed before making sure the water purifier was working properly. Everything seemed to be in place.

Kail excused herself for a moment to get out of the slightly uncomfortable combat armor and get back into her more familiar scribe's robes. Meanwhile, James rubbed some exhaustion out of his eyes before making sure both of his rifles were in good order. The sawed off shotgun could take a beating and wouldn't care. He raised his eyes to check on all the chemicals again.

"Hi." Kail announced, returning back to the room. James glanced at her for a moment before continuing to his work.

"Hello." James replied before pulling out a large tin can and popping it open. Julia Kail was a bit surprised to see a large pile of mentats in it.

"Is that your stash?" Kail asked curiously.

"Yeah, the whole thing. Ran out on the journey back." James explained.

"I see." Kail replied.

Jame's hand lowered to pluck one only to land into the solid counter top. He watched in mild bewilderment as the scribe simply tossed all of the pills down the garbage chute to go straight to the incinerator. She returned her gaze back at a very horrified looking James, too shocked to move from his position.

"I know you must think I'm a horrible person right now...but, I'm doing this because I care. You don't need those to function or make you think better. You don't need to be chained to those, using them as a crutch. I don't want to see you in withdrawal again, so I'm going to be here with you to go through one last one." Kail explained carefully. James raised a hand, still too baffled to speak. The scribe flinched, fearing to get hit again. James squinted at her.

"Why...why did you just do that?" James asked.

"I just told you." Kail replied.

"No, you flinched, why did you do that?"

"I...thought you were going to hit me." Kail admitted. She noticeably saw James relax his body.

"No, I was going to motion to you to get me a detox compound, in that syringe right there." James pointed. Kail sheepishly noticed the clear, fluid filled syringe. She quickly got it and handed it to James.

"So, you understand?" Kail asked. James continued to stare at her, though he appeared very tired.

"I understand your intentions. I do not understand why you thought I would hit you." James replied. Kail looked away.

"Well, it's happened a few times." she whispered. It was her turn to be surprised when she found James holding her, gently but firm. She carefully wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Don't ever mistake me to do that to you again, Kail." James told her quietly.

"Call me, Julia." Kail chided.

"Right, sorry, old habits." James muttered, sitting back down and taking the syringe.

"So you're going to do this? You're going to go clean this time?" Kail asked.

"I'm going to be a whole world of pain for the next couple days, but I don't think you left me much of a choice now, did you?" James replied before plunging the detox syringe into his thigh.

--

Carl was returning from his walk. A deeply spiritual man, Carl often had no problem having casual discussions with the God he believed in. That also meant he had little problem having discussions with his late mother. However, they were one sided. The answers he got was anyone's guess on how they came to him but considering Sven and James were from similar backgrounds and Adam didn't dare piss off a deity, there was no one around to question him. Besides, you kind of let a giant believe what he wants to believe.

"I tell you, mama, I don't know what's going to happen with that creature down there in the tunnels"

...

"Now mama, you know I believe that God can do anything but I'm not sure where I fit into this whole monster killing thing."

...

"Mama, that isn't fair and you know it."

The big man got to the vault and punched in the proper password. He muttered the end of the conversation darkly, scarcely above a whisper, almost inaudible.

"Mama, I'm sorry that happen, I really am. I didn't mean to. I didn't...I am not a monster..."

--

James sat on the floor, his back leaning against the cold wall of the Vault. He took deep, deliberate breaths. A detox compound did not immediately take away all of the pain of getting off a drug, especially the ones that were not made before the War. Furthermore, considering the amount of time he had been on mentats, there was no way he was going to avoid a painful rehabilitation. The detox compound would just make sure the withdrawal wasn't mind blowingly painful or out right fatal.

The pain he was starting to feel now was going to be a far cry from the real misery that awaited him. He was only a few hours into it. The headache was already starting to build and he was beginning to feel the tremors coming. A few beads of sweat were starting to form on his forehead and his stomach wasn't feeling right. He took off his duster and laid it on top of himself as a blanket, preparing for the chills.

Sitting beside him, Kail rubbed his shoulder gently and offered him a cup of purified water. James took it carefully, trying to figure out where the cup was at first before downing the water slowly. He carelessly placed the cup down next to him on the floor.

"You'll make it." Kail told him.

"I only just started." James mumbled.

"Yes, but you'll make it. I know you will."

"I wish I had as much confidence in that as you do."

"Why do you think you won't make it? Are you hiding any other stashes that I should know about? There's not a single metat here in the Vault and you are in no condition to go hunting outside." Kail explained.

"It's not that. It's the withdrawal that might kill me." James muttered, his jaw suddenly clenching as he felt a spasm of pain go through his head.

"No it won't. Don't tell yourself that. It can only hurt you for awhile. It can't kill you." Kail stated firmly. James did not answer.

A few hours later, practically in the early hours of the morning, James shivered and trembled as the pain hit a crescendo. He practically looked delirious but he refused the comfort a bed. He was in too much pain to sleep, the cold of the Vault wall gave him some sort of determination to hold onto. The flashes of hot, cold, agony, delirium and migraine was enough to tear him apart. Julia Kail simply held onto him as if trying to keep him together or give him some sort of anchor.

"Talk to me." Kail suddenly said, a bit tired herself.

"What? Why? I can barely focus as it is." James moaned.

"It'll give you something to focus on other than the pain." Kail explained.

"Julia, I don't know what to talk about. All I can think about is how much pain I'm in and how bloody easy it would be just to take a mentat and yet I'm in too far to go back, yet not across the line yet...too far from the line." James groaned. Kail sighed.

"Tell me about how you guys got to work together. What stories do you have?" Kail suggested.

"You...you don't want to know. We've seen things no one should have seen or gone through." James stated.

"I doubt that. You are all good men. There must be a reason you all do what is right." Kail said. James cast a wild, delirious eye at her.

"You...you think we're good? There- there is no good left here in the wastes. There is only suffering...and men trying to- to live in redemption...we are...we are not good men, only fallen saints, angels with broken wings." James ranted, clenching his inflamed eyes shut.

"What are you talking about?" Kail asked, thinking it was more the withdrawal than anything. James struggled to focus his thoughts.

"Well...Sven...let's start with Sven. Sven- he...he wasn't always insane you know..."

James struggled to tell the story.


	22. Chapter 22

_Why am I insane?_

_Why is it that I enjoy the sight of flames?_

_It was the explosion that saved my life_

_But in return, I had to pay with my sanity_

_Unfortunately, it wasn't only my sanity that I lost_

_

* * *

_

Four years before, Sven was just your normal guy out in the wastes near what was once Albany, New York. The former capital sat on the Hudson in the central part of the state. Having grown up in what was once the suburbs of the area, he was well acquainted with the relative safety of the place. However, that also made him privy to the known relative dangers that occasionally wandered into what he called home. A young man out starting his life needs a way to bring in the caps to help provide for supplies and food. Regulating wasn't any more dangerous than any other vocation out here in the wasteland if you thought about it and it promised to bring in a steady supply of caps.

The man was recruited from some old time friends, John, Nick and Jessie. All of them had grown up together but it was the other three that got into regulating before he did. It wasn't that much longer before he showed up but just enough for them to have a hang of things, enough to make them appear relatively competent when he first started.

"Ready for your first day?" Nick asked him as they were preparing to leave the small building that was designated the headquarters for the Albany area for the regulators. Sven felt oddly out of place in the new regulator duster but decided it would grow on him.

"I think." Sven replied cautiously, still trying to get a feel for the assault rifle in his hands.

"We worked out most of the bugs in that one. It's in good shape but it tends to have stove-pipe jams, where the casing does not properly leave the chamber. Just knock the shell out and she should start up again." Nick explained.

Nick was the weapons expert of the group. Sven and him had spent many hours of their childhood lives endlessly tinkering with whatever junk they found. Sven honestly believed he got his love of tinkering from Nick. In fact, all those days of playing and retrofitting junk had finally paid off for the new regulator. Nick was able to scrounge together parts to build the strangest gun anyone had ever seen. Simply put, the weapon could fire almost any kind of refuse that was littering the land, from sizable rocks, empty glass bottles, yard gnomes, scrap metal, almost anything really so long as it fit within the firing chamber.

"So anyone want to hear what the plan is for today?" John announced, making sure his bolt action rifle was in working order.

"Go ahead." Nick replied.

"Sure." Sven agreed. They looked over at Jessie who was still making final adjustments to her sniper rifle.

"We got word that there were some raiders in the area. Down towards the southern part of the old city. Again." John explained. John always seemed to have an air of authority about him. In fact, many a day's mischief and mayhem were hatched up and coordinated by him when they were all kids.

"Sounds like nothing we can't handle." Jessie stated, smoothing out her long, red hair.

"Don't speak so quickly, Jessie. These guys have already taken out two merchant caravans. Granted, they were lone traders but it looks like their bodyguards were not even able to get a shot off." John cautioned.

"Ambush?" Nick asked.

"Most likely. For raiders, these guys are smart, that's all I'm saying. With that in mind, we can't let our guards down, understand?" John demanded, they all nodded. John then looked at Sven and smiled.

"Don't worry, this will be a nice initiation for you." John offered.

"I guess." Sven shrugged.

"Oh, don't scare the guy. When this is over, Sven, you'll know that the pay makes up for it." Jessie said, leaning on her sniper rifle.

"By the way dude, take this, just in case." Nick offered, handing the new regulator a grenade.

--

The four left the building that was located on the north side of Albany. Due to all of the alleys, roadways and buildings that any raider gang could have set up as a base overnight, the four proceeded cautiously and slowly. Although they wouldn't admit it, Jessie, John and Nick still had not learned all the tricks and signs to look for that would give a clue as to whether or not they were approaching danger. They were also just starting to learn which areas of Albany were generally safe and which areas were usually hot zones.

Sven himself was completely at a loss with what to do so he tried to follow the lead of his friends though the reality was that they were all still relatively new. Jessie, John and Nick had been recruited by an old man named Francis towards the south several months back and they had permission to conscript Sven when they got back. Sven had stayed home on that adventure.

Due to their slow pace, the four regulators were only just approaching the southern outskirts of the ancient city by the time night had fallen. Too dark to continue on their hunt but too close to the danger zone to dare risk lighting a fire, the regulators simply found a ruined building to take shelter in for the night. They sent Sven in first to take point in making sure the building was clear.

Carefully opening up the door of what was once a two story house, the inside obviously decayed from the lack of use for over two hundred years. Carefully sweeping his assault rifle from side to side, Sven lingered by the entrance for a moment that stretched another.

"Do you hear anything?" Nick whispered.

"No." Sven replied.

"That's a good first sign but still go in quietly. Turn on your flashlight but be ready to fire at a moment's notice." Nick explained. Sven pulled out his flashlight and latched it to a catch on his rifle while stepping inside.

Several tense minutes later, having swept the whole house carefully, the whole team giving Sven tips and instructions, they found that the building was clear. Sven was a little more relieved than the others.

"You thought that was intense? You better not lose it when the raiders come." John chuckled.

"Oh leave him alone, we were the same way when we went on our first mission." Jessie scolded.

"I remember John blathering incoherently and Jessie firing erratically." Nick snickered.

"I recall you doing both." John replied.

"Guilty as charged." Nick nodded.

The four ended up laying on the wooden floor of the topmost room, staring through the large holes in the roof and watching the stars. The truth of the matter was that when together they became kids again. It was similar on how they would all roam around the wastes when they were children and occasionally ended up camping out in areas that were usually safe.

"Hey, remember that time when we found all those old cherry bombs?" John reminisced, taking a walk down memory lane.

"Haha, yes, I believe that was after you convinced us all to go looting through the old buildings even though our parents told us not to go down there." Jessie chuckled.

"Yeah, but it paid off in the end." John replied.

"I recall my parents giving me a stern talking to." Nick added.

"Yeah, but remember how we also found that old lunch box and put all the cherry bombs into it and found out a way to put a really long fuse inside?" John continued.

"Yeah, that's right. Then you decided it would be a really bright idea to drop it into the river after we lit the fuse." Sven stated.

"Even though our parents had also told us to stay away from the river." Jessie added.

"Man, how did we ever let you talk us into these things?" Nick asked John.

"I haven't a clue why I wanted to do them in the first place anymore, but yeah, remember when we lit that fused, shut the box quickly and tossed it into the river?" John asked.

"Yep. One giant water ball flew out of the river." Jessie smiled.

"And then the mirelurk parts." Sven chuckled.

"We knew we were in big trouble when that happened because they are usually other mirelurks around. I nearly wet my pants when I saw that." Nick said.

"If I remember correctly, you did." Jessie snickered.

"Did not, that was water from the river." Nick retorted.

"Boy, I don't think we ever ran faster from absolutely nothing when we saw those mirelurk limbs floating on the water." John continued.

"And to think we thought everyone would believe us when we said we had nothing to do with the ominous explosion from the river." Jessie sighed.

"Yeah, those were the days." Sven said.

"I'm not sure we tried blowing anything up after that." Nick added.

The next morning, the four regulators finally made it to the outskirts of the city around late morning. The city buildings opened up to a roadway that just seemed to go down south into the open country and hills, a few cars scattering the road where they had all come to a halt some two hundred years ago.

The four of them came to a stop when they found the end of the city. The landscape looked utterly desolate as always. There was not a movement to even be detected or a noise to be heard in the whole scene.

"So what do we do now?" Jessie asked, lowering her sniper rifle.

"Well, the caravan hits have always been close to here so I suppose we could set up an ambush and-" John's idea was cut short by an echoing crack.

The thunder of a gunshot.

Sven was absolutely shocked to find Jessie suddenly laying on the ground, her hand clutching a growing red spot on her midsection. In fact, it could be safe to say all of them were shocked.

"We have to find cover, get behind that car!" John ordered, dragging the downed woman with him into the relative safety behind the wreck despite the hail of gunfire raining on them.

"N-Nick...I-I need...a stimpack..." Jessie gasped weakly.

"Uh...right....um, hold on..." Nick started searching through the leather bag where they kept all their stimpacks.

"Um...crap..." Nick hissed, finding a gaping hole through the bag, all the stimpacks shattered by a single, passing bullet.

"Guys, we have to fire back, come on!" John yelled. Both him and Nick peeked over the car and started firing their weapons. Sven was too mortified to move. He glanced back over at Jessie who was slowly relaxing her breaths, the fight becoming too much. Oh heavens, her lips were starting to turn blue and there was a puddle of red slowly growing underneath her. Sven suddenly felt his numb extremities burning. His childhood friend was slowly bleeding out, dying, right in front of his eyes.

"Arrrgggghhhh!" John suddenly screamed, his entire side torn with what was probably buckshot. Sven's rage suddenly evaporated again. You just should never have to see what you are certain are your friend's organs exposed to the light. John whimpered and ended up on the ground next to Jessie who was quietly gasping.

"Sven...fire back...fire back..." John groaned.

"Die!" Nick screamed, firing his weapon. Sven finally got up and blindly fired off a couple rounds before ducking when several bullets bounced off the car in his area.

"I'm going to kill each and every one of-" Nick's threat was cut short when a hole erupted into his side followed by another one opening on the opposite end of his torso. His face a frozen mask of shock and pain, the man dropped his weapon and fell to the ground taking rapid breaths.

Now Sven was the only one left.

Sven watched the agonized, bewildered faces of his dying friends stare up at him. Now, it was up to him to protect them. Sven willed himself to get angry, to get into a rage, to fire back. Sven jumped up and started firing. The man screamed more out of keeping his mind together and grasp some kind of bravado as he held the trigger down and fired. Clip after clip fell from his weapon until he could feel no more. Then, he reached behind his back and started firing rounds from his pump-action shotgun. His shoulder aching, he kept the fire up until he was suddenly greeted with an empty _click_. He had run out of rounds.

They heard a harsh cackling, laughter.

"Hahaha...what's that boy shooting at?"

"He's still a pup. Haha, lets keep him alive, I need to hear something scream tonight." The raiders were approaching casually, almost presumptuously. Sven looked back at his friends, their faces growing pale not from fear but the blood lost.

"W-what do I do?" Sven begged. John's mouth trembled.

"T-the grenade...u-use the grenade." John forced himself to say with the few breaths he had left. Sven's trembling hand reached into his coat and pulled out the grenade. His friends watched as he numbly pulled out the safety pin.

"Haha, he doesn't know what to do." a harsh voice said. The raiders were getting closer.

"S-Sven...be strong..." Jessie whispered.

"Do it, Sven...just do it..." Nick stated, coughing up the precious little blood he had left from his mouth. Sven stared wildly at the approaching raiders.

"What are you going to do kid? Just stand there? Good, that'll make this easier..." a raider threatened, holding up a rifle pointed at Sven's head.

Sven blankly dropped the grenade which rolled under the car.

The resulting double explosions simply threw all the people surrounding the car off at various distances. Sven never really felt being taken off his feet, or even the flight and landing for that matter. Instead, he just recalled staring up at the sky, briefly wondering why he was not dead, but very aware that he was laying in a pile of discarded trash and sheet metal.

And then he started laughing. The sheer, utter, absurdity of it all. There was nothing else to do but to laugh at it. It was completely, utterly, totally absurd. He was still alive and all his limbs together. Yes, he had been burned and his whole body hurt but he was still alive. He kept laughing despite the tears that formed on his face when he looked around. The raiders were gone but the still, prone forms of his friends told him that they had died in the explosion. Sure, they were probably dying to begin with but it was the grenade, the grenade he had armed and dropped, not tossed, dropped, that had exploded the car and killed them. It was his explosion that had finished the act. He had killed them.

And he hated himself for every second that he laughed.

And still he laughed because he had not died. He laughed because it was the only thing to do. Part of it was gratitude but most of it was the sheer stupidity, injustice that he had not died there with them. He should have died, he should have perished and yet he did not. It was an explosion that saved his life and yet took his friends with it.

A day later when a passing caravan found him and immediately got to bringing him to medical attention, Sven was still laughing.

--

"H-he lost his childhood and p-part of his mind in that fire." James finished. By now, sweat was dropping off his hair and face in torrents and it had soaked through much of his shirt despite his furious shivering. Kail helped him sip another cup of water.

"I'm...sorry that happened to him. I hope he doesn't blame himself for his friends' deaths." the scribe said sympathetically.

"H-he doesn't...and yet he still hates that it had to happen. Each explosion is a reminder that he is alive...but it also reminds him of their deaths. It's a very mixed feeling." James explained hoarsely.

"The poor man." Kail said.

"Yes...now, if you could please...please help me get to the restroom?" James asked. Kail took his arm and placed it over her shoulder as she helped him get to his feet. They carefully made their way out of the room.

"Kail...even though I'm extremely disoriented...we- we really need to get to the restroom quickly." James informed through his agony.

"Okay." Kail said.

"My digestive system is processing dinner in reverse...I do not want to get vomit near you, Julia." James groaned.

"Oh, right! Okay, hold on." Kail stated urgently, leading him with a quicker step. James groaned with the added speed which only served to make him more nauseous.


	23. Chapter 23

_I never really wanted to go into regulating_

_It was fishing and mirelurk hunting that I wanted to do_

_But I suppose our original plans never last long these days_

_I lost two women in my life_

_Both times were not easy for me_

_

* * *

_

James wearily stumbled towards the restroom sink and caught himself on the metal basin. He seriously hated vomiting. He wasn't even sure how much pain he was in anymore or even how certain he was about anything. It was just one long, deep, painful, delirious haze. James took a sip of the purified water to return some fluids back into his system before making his way to the doorway.

He almost made it.

Julia Kail was a bit surprised to find James literally dragging himself along the floor of the Vault. The man groaned as the tremors hit him again and he collapsed to a halt on the cold metal floor. Kail knelt down beside him.

"I'm so sorry it hurts." Kail apologized. James motioned that he wanted to be propped up next to the wall so the scribe helped him to a sitting position and James simply slumped against the cool steel with a sigh. His head was pounding with the worse headache he recalled having in a while, if ever. Kail sat down next to him and rubbed her eyes.

"Y-you...should...get some sleep." James said slowly. Kail chuckled.

"No, someone needs to make sure you're okay."

"Of course I'm not okay but you're tired and I'll live. And if I don't it will be a relief." James sighed.

"Don't say that. I'm here to try and make it less painful." the scribe said. James groaned painfully as another wave of agony pounded through his head.

"Come here." Kail whispered, bringing James to rest his head in her lap. She gently brushed his head with her hands, wiping the sweat out of his eyes.

"What about Carl?" Kail asked.

"What...about him?" James moaned.

"What's his story? He must've had an amazing mother since he speaks so highly of her." Kail observed.

"Well...she was influential in what he became today." James sighed.

"I'm sure." Kail replied.

"That's only half the story." James said softly lest he upset his migraine.

"What's the whole story?" Kail asked.

--

Carl grew up along the Mohawk river, an extension that branched off the Hudson. His home community was a fishing village that specialized in the hunting and processing of mirelurks. It was not the safest work but the more experienced men made it look like an easy task. Granted, proficiency, competence and experience helped to keep the men alive but there was always that risk that an angler's or hunter's career could come to a crashing halt if not their very life.

Religion was also a major aspect of the community's daily life. Driven in part by a tradition that had come from the African American church and worship, Carl was a deeply spiritual individual with a passion for his belief. Besides, with the understanding that the career he wanted to go in could always send him to his Maker at a moment's notice, Carl decided it was only in his best interest to settle the spiritual matters early.

Carl was the only child of his mother, a woman with a kind face who was deeply driven to raise her boy into a decent and upright man. It was difficult being a single mother, not that it was easy to begin with when her husband was still around. Despite the reality of the current living standard, it was still hard trying to a raise a child on your own. Carl's mother made do by helping out on the fishing docks, preparing the mirelurk meat and removing the scales and armor of the hardy fish that was able to live in the irradiated waters. She helped to unload the catches brought in and when all of that was finished, she also helped to sell them.

It wasn't always like that. Her husband was also a proper man when he was around. Sadly, he was killed shortly after Carl was born on a fishing accident. His rifle failed in an intense shootout with an approaching mirelurk hunter. His comrades were not able to puncture the creature's armor in time, the man failed to evade the monster and was brutally killed by the snapping claws.

All told, Carl was used to living a simple life in poverty, trying to etch out a living in the mud and waters next to the Mohawk. From a young age he understood his mother faced a lot of challenges, a little more than she really should have. It put a lot of stress on her, trying to raise her son into a decent individual while all the while working long hours for little pay only to come home at night to take care of the domestic responsibilities then to fall asleep and then repeat the process before the sun rose.

The winters were worse when the caps nearly trickled to a halt and they were forced to get by on what little food they could. Hungry most of the time, Carl still had a muscular frame to nourish. Even from a young age people could tell the boy would grow into a powerful adult. Between the water and the frost, Carl did not know how many times they went through the winter half sick from the regular diseases while also afflicted with mild radiation poisoning because the supply of radaway could not be afforded. His mother refused to prostitute herself but at some point her pride allowed her to beg. Carl often came along for lack of anything better to do, especially during the winter. At times, they simply had to depend on the sympathy of others at the common tavern for food, drink and medication.

When he reached the age of ten, he decided out of the intention of helping his hard pressed mother in their impoverished conditions to take on a job. He couldn't work yet on the fishing crews, not even to help haul out the meat but he was determined to find something, anything. Bumbling around, the young Carl was desperate, one of the first times he had felt such a pressing despair in his short life. He just could not bear to see his mother frustrated and hurt over their poor state of affairs. Of course he believed that the God they prayed to many times daily heard them and watched over them but God had given man the responsibility to work and occasionally you just had to go and find that work. Or pray that God would lead you too it. Right now, that very young Carl was wondering if God was also testing his patience as well as his faith in finding that job.

Dejected, the young boy wandered into the side of town where he had rarely visited before. Finding a large rock, Carl sat down forlornly and wondered if he should consider a different strategy. It was at that time that he heard the sound of hammers falling on a hard surface. He glanced up to see men hard at work hitting the layers of heavy stone that jutted out of a hillside. He was astonished at first but then remembered that some of the newer or more dilapidated ships needed ballasts to properly sit in the water. Often, the fishermen used the age old trick of just dropping a couple heavy rocks into the bottom of the ship. So this was where they got all the rocks.

"Hey you there, boy!" a sweaty foreman with a disarming smile yelled. Carl looked up at the man.

"You looking for something to do, boy?" the foreman called. Carl smiled and ran up to the worker.

"Yes, sir." Carl replied. The foreman handed the boy a solid looking sledgehammer. It was a bit large for the kid but the foreman could see that the child would grow into it and seemed a bit stronger than most children his age.

"We'll put you to work on the smaller stuff. You take good care of that hammer and you can keep it. If you keep coming back, we'll pay you your fair share of caps." the foreman offered.

"I'll take it, sir." Carl replied with a smile.

And so that was how it was. Carl helped out with the small stipend he made working to hammer out ballasts for the ships. Alas, the added caps did not completely ease the suffering they had. In fact, to Carl's memory, it only seemed to make things worse.

Carl wondered when he had started to notice it. Maybe it was always there throughout his childhood, he just didn't quite grasp it until he came around that age. Perhaps there was always that undercurrent there, it just didn't show itself most fully until that time. He could not be sure. What he was sure was this; his mother could be gentle and patient in one memory and then enraged and abusive the next. He feared deeply when his mother would hit him. Come to think of it, he no longer remembered most of the reasons why she was screaming and striking him. God, he never wanted his mother to be shouting at him like that. It just happened, as if she was a land mine just waiting to go off.

He did not recall how long that system went on, one moment her being kind and then the next minute him sobbing because he did not know what he did to set her off and cause her to abuse him. He could not have been too long after he took the job because he knew he was stil ten years old. They were walking through the community one day and then, out of the blue like always, she was hitting him, screaming at him, tormenting him and in his young heart he had not a clue why. It was breaking him. He knew this wasn't right and he wondered what was this creature that took on his mother's shell and caused her to do this? Would the hitting, the scratching, would it ever stop? It was beginning to hurt too much.

He could not take it anymore.

He only remembered him taking his first and only stand that one time. He wondered if he had yelled stop. He wasn't sure. What he was sure was that one moment he was curled up trying to protect himself. The next moment, he was standing completely bewildered, his sledgehammer clutched in his hand and his mother laying dead before him. Her head had swung back too quickly when a blunt force caught her chin.

Oh God, why did he do it? He did not mean to!

The memories become all convoluted after that. Sometimes he saw himself running away, other times he just continued to stand there while the whole community simply turned their backs. Other times, he is there clutching his mother's dead body and praying to God to give him another chance, just one more chance.

It is a hard burden to carry when you're by yourself at ten years old. It is a hard weight to bear when your that young and you know you killed your own mother. It is difficult when the community does not blame you for her death and yet considers you too dangerous to be around for too long. Carl did not know how many dejected days he spent simply waiting at the docks and watching the Mohawk river simply flow on by. He had plenty of time to consider just how much the ones you love can be forever out of your grasp in just the flash of an instance. Occasionally, it can happen by your own hand.

One day, tired of it all, he took his hammer and started walking along the river. He found another community that welcomed him with a smile, having no clue as to the deeds of his past. A few years later, he found his own true love, a wonderful girl named Ana. They married and hoped to spend the rest of their lives together, Carl taking up the trade of mirelurk hunting like he had always wanted to. The days of bliss only lasted five very short years. Ana one day succumbed to radiation poisoning and once again Carl was left alone staring into space, sitting by the docks. Heartbroken for the second time, Carl finally clasped his hands together and prayed that God would show him a direction to go in. No sooner he had done that, flicking the last tear out of his eye, he looked over to see a grizzled, crusty man in a long, olive green coat. The older stranger spat a cigarette out of his mouth and looked down at him. The burning ember coughed up a puff of smoke on the water.

"You looking for work?" the old man asked.

"I...I guess..." Carl sputtered.

"My name's Francis. I think I have a job for you."

--

"He-he never told us the full story. He has nightmares about it occasionally. That was the only way we-we figured it out. He was tossing and turning one night when we were camping. He kept talking in his sleep, giving out pieces of the story. We...we never told him we figured it out so I wouldn't mentioned it to him." James said weakly. He was still in a lot of pain but his body had finally run out of energy. At least his shivering had died down a bit but he suspected that was more from the exhaustion. He head was still killing him.

"I still think his mother must have had some good qualities to her if he still speaks of her so highly." Kail said, herself rather tired.

"I wouldn't doubt it either. Like everything else in this world, everything is so messed up." James whispered, his eyes burning while he tried to stave off the nausea.

"Are you feeling better?" Kail asked, watching his finally relaxed breathing from where he was reclined on her lap.

"I fear if I try to get up, my world will spin and I'll lose whatever else is in my stomach." James groaned.

"It's okay, I'm comfortable." Kail replied.

"I doubt that." James said quietly. The Brotherhood scribe gently rubbed his shoulder.

"Don't. Now tell me, what's your story?" Kail inquired softly. She saw him close his eyes for a moment. The man simply let out a groan.


	24. Chapter 24

_I learned how to heal and bring life in this barren earth_

_That is why I took up arms, to defend those who could not keep themselves_

_My fall from grace came when I sought difficult answers_

_I chained myself trying to bring freedom_

_And those who were not guilty, I killed_

_

* * *

_

James grew up along the mountain range that came to meet the lower Hudson river. From a young age he learned that one of the more important things in life was to understand how to heal yourself, especially after one too many run ins with the molerats that managed to get past his machete swings. That was one of the reasons he went into medicine. However, he also learned that if you made do with the technology in front of you and if you learned how to tweak them, you might be able to get further than you might think. That was one of the reasons he was able to get to work early on his rail rifle.

The dual abilities to both wield a weapon and bring healing made him a prime candidate for the regulators. A minor sense of compassion and a divine institution of ultimate good was instilled in him from the upbringing of his parents. After all, despite the current chaotic nature of religion, there are few atheists in the worldwide foxhole these days.

Several miles west of the Hudson, the lifeblood for the fledging communities in New York, is another waterway called the Esopus Creek. Along this waterway was a rather small community, James was assigned to keep the order in the area as there were not many regulators to keep watch over them. The "community," if such a small establishment could be called that, was along a caravan route that branched from the lower Hudson and moved west towards the towns and abodes that were further west. James regularly stopped along the place, a rather large tavern that had once been a medium sized hotel before the bombs fell.

Like most places, the little center of humanity had its own rhythm and established culture, a routine that they all followed and everyone knew their place. The proprietor was a stout, balding man who made his business by letting the caravan men lodge for the night. He had a sizable crew of employees who helped to run the place and made sure the tavern kept in working order.

While passing through, James often liked to stop and sit on a rock that rested among the forest of tree skeletons, standing like so many wretched stakes through the land, a testament of the forest that used to grow there. Very few of the trees were alive this day and age and the ones that were still living were a bit…mutated.

Regardless, perched on his rock overlooking the large stream, James was able to figure the little tavern out, or so he thought. The way he saw it, the stout man kept the caravan men safe and refreshed, his employees made their living and were provided shelter as well by the building and they had some extra protection, if it could be called that, by a roving gang of men. James wasn't sure how the gang made their living but they certainly provided the little rest stop extra caps. The regulator sharpened his machete, the melee weapon he had at the time, against the rock. A mysterious flow of caps never bode well for him but he decided he could give the gang a chance.

That was how things went for awhile, James patrolling along his circuit through the southern mountains, making sure the sparse inhabitants of the area were safe, keeping tabs on them and then stopping to stay by the tavern to make sure everyone living there were all right. He threw together his own shack so he would not have to take up lodging at the hotel. It not only helped to cut his costs but also gave him a hidden place to keep an eye out on the people.

One day as he stopped in to talk to the hotel keeper, making sure that everything was the same, the manager glanced over at his large satchel that he kept on his shoulder and noticed some of the tell tale cylinders of stimpacks he kept as well as what looked like the packaging of gauze bulging through the bag. The proprietor scratched his chin for a moment.

"Are you a doctor, lawman?" the man asked. James nodded.

"Yes sir."

"You think you could look at my employees? They all seem to be a little accident prone, I could use someone who could patch them up." the managed informed. Naturally, James opened his bag and got to work.

By the times James had finished visiting all of the employees, his stock of radaway and some of the bandages had been used up. It was the usual set of wasteland ailments, mild radiation poisoning, some cuts and scratches and a benign sickness here or there but nothing worrying.

"I'm willing to make sure your employees are in good health, but I'm going to need you to make sure my supplies get restocked." James told the manager.

"How much of a doctoring fee are you going to charge me?" the man asked.

"I get enough money regulating. If that was as easy as doctoring, I'd do that for free too. Just make sure I have the supplies." James replied.

"Sounds like a generous deal to me." the manager replied with a grin.

So a new routine settled for the community, one where the regulator not only stopped to make sure there was nothing amiss but also to stop by each of the employees for their regular checkup. At first, the man in the duster did not think about the steady supply of radiation sickness, cuts and occasional bruise the employees got. Lord knew that those were a dime a dozen these days. However, he started to notice other things that began to disturb him.

He noticed some of the employees had more bruises, ones that they tried to keep out of sight and then did not mention to him after he noticed, claiming they were nothing. They also appeared to be…different, as if unacquainted with the concept of being tended to and they also seemed bewildered when James refused any gift they tried to offer. He was just doing his job. His thoughts turned darker when some of the staff simply broke down in tears because of his "kindness" and "generosity." Sure, they were a lot of pricks these days but how could so many people be damaged on a regular basis in this one place?

It was nearly spelled out to him when one employee, a woman, sick with a mysterious disease that did not seem to go away, finally told him the full truth. It was an affliction that manifested itself on her intimate parts. Venereal diseases were not something James could treat.

The regulator put his patrol on hold that day and stayed in his shack to monitor the situation. Only a few days later his heart sank when he saw the staff members disposing the woman's body, the poor lady having succumbed to her disease. His darkest suspicions, the one that he had prayed would not be true, was confirmed when the local gang stopped by during an evening and the sounds of merriment could be heard outside.

This was not just any tavern. Why did he not see it before? James gnashed his teeth at his sheer stupidity, his utter obliviousness, to the obvious fact. All the employees were women. The hotel keeper wasn't just a proprietor, he was a pimp running a brothel. Apparently, he did not mind some of the rougher things that the clients did to the women he kept.

The thing that burned James up the most was the utter cycle of dysfunction it was in. No matter how many times he treated the women, they would just get roughed up again and inevitably, they would all end up like the woman they buried just a couple days ago. James did not like it and the manager noticed that his mood was becoming more surely as the patrols wore on.

A woman sobbing on his shoulder for a good twenty minutes because of his compassion finally brought him over the brink. Why should they sell themselves when there was a bloody stream outside where water could be purified as best as they could and sold to the caravan men? Why could they not learn to harvest the hardy fish that lived in the river? He could still keep supplying the radaway. He wanted this cycles to end now. He was tired of treating symptoms. It was time to cure the illness.

A very heated argument with the patron did not get him anywhere.

However, he did get the break he needed when he found a small band of hunters killed in the woods. It was the work of the local gang, apparently having themselves some fun and finding a way to make some spare caps. James reacted swiftly that night.

That night at the tavern the occupants could hear strange sounds echo through the evening. It only happened about eight times and it sounded like a whistle of some sort. However, the brief period of the noise going off did not alarm the inhabitants too much.

The manager of the tavern was surprised when James showed up a bit earlier than usual in the morning. He was even more confused when the regulator simply stepped up to him and unrolled a cloth before him. He was disgusted to find eight individual amputated fingers sitting on the folded cloth. James spoke to him with furrowed, stern eyes.

"The local gang were your most trusted clients, correct?" James demanded.

"Yes." the manager stated.

"They're dead now." James simply announced. They could not get any deader really, James having snuck up on their camp at night and the only thing that was left of the camp were the empty tents and the decapitated heads of the gang members spiked to the nearby trees where they were shot.

"You…you dare seek to compromise my work!?" the pimp demanded.

"Dare? I just did so. And it isn't your work, it's the humiliation of the women you keep chained!" James shouted.

James was not sure where it started in the fight, the stout man turning red with fury as he screamed and spat in the regulators face. However, James was very sure about what he was starting to see in the angry little man. His screaming, snapping jaw, his furious rage and flashing teeth. Somewhere near the climax of their argument, James no longer saw a man but a rodent. He saw a rat. A molerat.

And molerats did not last long around his machete.

The manager let out a surprised gasp as he felt a sharp edge slam into his midsection. A machete does a better job slashing than thrusting so it took a few more prods and twists for James to finally get the metal all the way through the man. It was not the fastest process.

"They will not be oppressed anymore…" James whispered harshly into the dying man's face, both of them covered in blood now by the ordeal. Unfortunately, James spoke too soon as several of the women practically hit and beat him off the dying manager. Amid a lot of hysterical screaming, the regulator was bodily driven from the tavern.

It took awhile to figure it out but James learned that there would by no getting out of the dysfunction. The women still sold their bodies to the passing caravans without the management of the dead patron. He was no longer welcomed to tend to their ailments anymore either. It was a blow to the man on several levels. James thought on this as he held onto his rail rifle and walked along the creek towards the Hudson.

First, not everyone knows what to do with freedom. Breaking a person's chains does not necessarily remove them from their shackles. Sometimes, they pick their chains back up and latch themselves to it as they know no other way to live. Two, as unscrupulous as the manager was, he had done nothing to be killed like that in the regulator fashion. James would not collect on that finger. Three, James had murdered a man beyond the law. He had acted of his own murderous will. He, who was suppose to represent justice had allowed himself to be corrupted by the power he wielded. He was now a guilty man.

The regulator decided he did not want to get caught off guard like that again. He needed sometime to make sure he kept an edge on his mental processes, trying to keep ahead of the lawless men and dangers he might run across. It was sometime after that that he came across a box of mentats…

--

"I told Francis of the whole incident. He told me to deal with it, never let it happen again, and continue with my patrols though he assigned me a different circuit after that. It was the last time I worked alone." James stated wearily through the painful haze he was still in. Julia Kail remained silent as she weakly continued to stroke his sweat laden hair.

"So yes, you're in the company of a murderer." James chuckled dryly.

"Do you still feel guilty about it?" Kail asked quietly. James hesitated.

"Sometimes. I believe in a God that can forgive my sins…doesn't mean I forgave myself." James replied carefully.

"Well, I forgive you if that means anything." Kail whispered.

"Thanks, Julia." James replied, his head still resting on her lap.

"You really should get some sleep. It's four in the morning now." James said.

"I'm fine…someone needs to make sure you're all right." Kail bickered playfully despite her fatigue.

"I'm feeling better, I seriously am. I'm miserable yes, but it isn't so bad anymore." James stated truthfully.

"You still haven't told me the last story. What about Adam?" Kail asked.

"Saved the most interesting one for last, I suppose."


	25. Chapter 25

-1_Author's note: First off, thanks to all those who have been keeping track of the story and have a blessed new year. _

_Second, Easycompany506's character, Lowell Morgan will be making an appearance in this chapter. Of course, you'll have to hear more from him in his own story which Easycompany will be publishing. I claim no rights on him._

_

* * *

_

_Perhaps before the bombs fell there were some things money couldn't buy_

_I'm not sure if that's true these days_

_I didn't start off on the wrong side of the law_

_But I didn't start on the right one either_

_In avarice and fear my decisions were made_

Adam grew up on the east side of the Hudson, right across from the mountain range that James lived in. The site of a former nuclear power plant that was targeted in the war provided a hazardous setting for nearby inhabitants but it also proved to be a breeding ground and hideout for some of the more shadier gangs south of the Adirondack Mountains.

However, sometimes the lines between "raider gang" and a "regular gang" and "band of people simply trying to survive" can get blurred. Adam was not sure who his parents were or even if he was originally born in the area. His earliest memories consisted of him struggling to survive alongside a bunch of other desperate men and women. Giving young children even a pistol with minimal ammunition can be a recipe for disaster so it was decided a lesser evil to let the child play with the knives that the rest of the group did not care for. At least he was never told _not_ to run with sharp objects.

Regardless, any living, breathing ten year old out in the wastes has to have some intelligence to have survived that long out in the wastes, especially with a gang of people who, though not necessarily raiders, were not exactly paragons of the wastes either. It is bordering on suicide to attack most of the creatures and savages out in the wild with only a sticker several inches long at most. On the flip side, there is also the knowledge that those several inches of knife can be extended with a nice, hefty throw.

Adam became a self taught knife thrower. His proficiency got so well that the gang leader saw some potential in this growing asset. One day, the leader who they called "Boss" introduced Adam to a man named "Mr. Conner." Mr. Conner was a businessman.

"So is this the boy you spoke of?" Mr. Conner asked Boss as the businessman wearing the cleanest looking clothes Adam ever saw scanned him over.

"This is him." Boss replied.

"Good. Where do you keep your knives, son?" Mr. Conner now addressed Adam. Adam pointed to the belt he wore that tucked away a dazzling collection of knives and daggers but he also motioned to a few that he kept tied on both boots.

"Hmm…I think there's a way we can fix that. If you let me keep the boy, I'm sure there's a way I could cut a deal that would be profitable to both of you. Shall we talk business, Boss?" Mr. Conner asked. Shortly thereafter, a deal was struck.

Mr. Conner had a few things to explain to Adam as he insisted that he start the boy off "All over again." The suave businessman was teaching the adolescent some things as he laid the proper gear before Adam.

"Petty killing is such a wasteful deed. It knocks off someone who could do work, not often enough do I see it taking care of a sap that's just wasting space. Everyone has a reputation, Adam, no matter how insignificant they may feel they are. Reputations are profitable things, Adam, and there are some people who are more valuable dead than they are alive. Workers in death, the agents who make sure these people die, are called 'Assassins,' Adam. We're going to make you into an assassin."

Years of surviving in the wastes and trying to sneak up on enemies already put Adam ahead in the training program. Now by default under Mr. Conner's payroll, Adam was given an amount of freedom to roam and adventure as he chose. It certainly gave him an opportunity to earn a few spare caps doing freelance work and every creature, or person, he killed in quiet fashion was only practice. Its what also allowed him to learn the people skills he needed to do the occasional manipulation and the reading of another person.

Mr. Conner's skills in "teaching" were certainly something to be mentioned of since it was only three years later that he managed to convince Adam to assassinate Boss and his former gang. This was done for "financial reasons." It certainly gave Adam a higher share in the caps afterwards.

When he was seventeen, five years of assassinating and working alone out in the wastes having now made him a silent killer, Adam was walking along a road with two friends he had made years back. One, a comely young lady named Leslie, was certainly all smiles when he was around. The other was an adolescent his age named Lowell Morgan. The three had been hanging out for the past couple years at the time, at least when Adam was in the area.

"What was your latest adventure, Adam?" Leslie asked. Adam chuckled.

"Just a little of this and a little of that. I even helped a mother get enough molerat meat for her kids. She gave me about fifty caps for that. Not a lot but at least I got to practice throwing my daggers." Adam stated.

"Well, that was nice of you." Lowell informed.

"I wouldn't doubt-" Adam stopped short, his eyes darting. Something was wrong. He looked over at Lowell, the man already had his shortened double barrel shotgun shouldered.

"Do you hear that, Lowell?" Adam asked. Lowell nodded.

"Whatever that sound is…it's ringing a bad bell in my mind and I can't seem to remem-" Lowell's eyes suddenly went wide and he cursed. Adam followed his horrified glare and cursed himself.

Lumbering towards them was a deathclaw.

"Leslie, walk back slowly. If that thing starts running, I want you to run as fast as you can, don't look back." Adam whispered.

"If you don't hear from us, don't go trying to look for us. You probably would not want to find us." Lowell added, his eye still desperately taking aim.

"Now go!" Adam hissed to the petrified girl who started to stumble back. Why was that deathclaw taking its time, did it not notice them yet?

The large monster suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. Its mouth open to reveal a row of jagged teeth bathed in foul saliva. Suddenly, it roared and started to charge.

Lowell and Adam immediately let their weapons fly. It was horrific to watch the monster simply absorb, no, _shrug_, the blades and bullets that slammed into it, never once abating its pace. Lowell continued to curse and desperately squeezed the trigger on his shotgun. The reaction he got was rather jarring.

The deathclaw stopped dead in its track, suddenly roaring in agony. The two bewildered men stared with open mouths and suddenly saw what had stopped the creature. The deathclaw had a large, bloodied hole where its left eye should have been.

"Lowell, that was a bloody good shot!" Adam cried.

"No kid-"

Adam's heart sank when he saw Lowell simply disappear behind a massive, gnarled claw. The deathclaw had not died, it was now simply blinded in one eye and now Lowell was thrown to the ground. Adam had no time to check on his friend. He simply reacted, jumped on the creatures back and started stabbing with the daggers in his two hands. The monster reached back and snared part of the assassin's leather armor, throwing the man to the ground. Before Adam knew it, the deathclaw was screaming in his face. The assassin knew he was going to be dinner within a couple minutes and there was not a thing he could do about it.

And then, rather unexpectedly, the deathclaw's head vaporized.

Adam did his best to brush off the gore that had landed on him and sat up. He was even more surprised to find Lowell sitting up in shock as well though the man had three deep gashes running diagonally on his face. Adam looked around bewildered. Lowell was still lying there.

"That one's free, boys." another voice chimed in. Adam looked back to find an older man in a long, olive green coat standing in the road holding a plasma rifle still steaming from its recent use. Leslie was peeking from behind his coat. Returning the rifle on his back, the stranger continued to walk, simply stepping around the deathclaw's body.

"Hey um, you want to help me up?" Adam asked sheepishly.

"I'm a busy man, son." the man replied, still walking. Adam continued to watch him before sputtering again.

"Hey uh...could you check on my friend?" Adam asked hesitantly.

"Bad as they look, they're flesh wounds. He can keep the scars." the stranger replied.

"...Oh..."

"By the way, the name is Francis." the stranger said and disappeared down the road.

"…So…some help getting this thing off me?" Adam asked. At that moment, Lowell slowly sat up.

"...Hey Adam..."

"Yes?"

"Tear that bastard's other eye out, would you?"

That was the last time Adam saw Lowell. He kept track of Leslie but Lowell disappeared awhile after that. The way he heard it, Lowell got drafted into the 10th Ranger Mercenary group. He wasn't sure what became of him after that. He did hear that he might have gone further west to a placed called "DC" but that was all just hear say.

A few years after that Mr. Conner sent him on a mission. Adam was approaching an shack under the dead of night along the Hudson River. Mr. Conner seemed to be a little irate about this mission, as if the usually collected businessman had a thorn in his side about this hit. Adam could take care of that.

The lock on the door gave way quietly under Adam's work and the man snuck in silently and dark as a shadow into the building. The man he was to exterminate was sitting in a chair behind a desk at the end of the room. Adam could see his silhouette in the dim light. He quietly continued to sneak up on the target until he was up to the man's desk. Adam unsheathed his dagger and was ready to end the man's life when the night in his vision suddenly exploded in white stars.

Adam was on his back on the floor, partially stunned by the sudden punch to the head but even more stunned by the end of a plasma rifle sticking in his face. He stopped struggling only to find the targeted man awake and staring back down at him. The surprises just didn't stop either because he realized he recognized this man.

"Aren't you that boy whose hide I saved from a deathclaw awhile back?" the man grumped, still not moving his plasma rifle from Adam's face.

"Francis?" Adam demanded.

"He's not the only one here, you know." a softer voice announced. Adam tore his gaze towards the right.

"Leslie!?" Adam choked. He saw that the woman also wore a duster but he couldn't gawk for long. The plasma rifle suddenly jabbed his nose. Francis leaned down to talk to Adam face to face, the assassin could see the individual hairs on the older man's mustache.

"The reason you were sent here is because my regulators have been taking care of your employer's assassins one by one. I'm kind of glad I didn't kill you out right because I've heard stories about you. You're not all bad, you're just kind of motivated by caps. Regulating has its own share of caps to be made and there are far more targets to be killed. There's a lot of evil to be regulated out there. I just need your word that you'll go straight, boy." Francis ordered.

It was an offer Adam could not refused.


	26. Chapter 26

_One day when the sun rises on a different morning_

_We will beat our guns into the dust_

_And learn the art of war no more_

_But until that new dawn rises_

_We'll wear these dusters_

James sat up next to the wall, the pain slowly evaporating from him. Now all that remained was fatigue and a deep sense of exhaustion. He probably felt a little woozy, or perhaps disoriented but the pain was finally gone. Sleepy, Kail simply laid her head on his shoulder and curled up.

"I told you that you should have gone to bed." James whispered.

"But you were telling a story." Kail whispered playfully.

"I feel better now." James said.

"Good, I'm glad." Kail replied, her eyes closed. She nearly yelped when she felt James suddenly pick her up and started carrying her. She kept her wits about her when she noticed he was walking towards the dorm they left Evelyn in last night. Within a couple moments, she was laying on one of the spare bed.

"Thanks for getting me through that." James thanked her.

"You're welcome." the scribe replied as they both hesitated. James did not realize how close they were until he felt her breath on his lips.

"Sleep well." James said quickly and suddenly left the bed. He also didn't realize just how mildly disappointing that was to the Brotherhood scribe.

No sooner had he closed the door behind him, he felt a wave of sleepiness hit him and once again found a section of the wall to lean back on as he sat down, too tired to make another step. He would have to make a quick catnap before he got to the day's duties. He suddenly heard the door open and looked over to find the rat awake and scampering towards him. The large rodent stopped by him and looked at him with its beady eyes.

"Uh…that back there…that wasn't what it looked like." James blathered, pointing in Kail's direction back at the room.

_"Wait a minute, did I just try to explain myself to a rat?" _James thought in bewilderment. In response, the rodent crawled up to him and placed a paw on his arm as if getting ready to explain something to the man. The tired regulator could only watch as the rat simply stuck its tongue out of its snout at him for a moment before walking off to explore the rest of the vault. James only stared at it in indignation.

"You mean to tell me that even animals don't believe me?"

--

Carl had left early in the morning to go and bag a lurk or two for breakfast as well as stock up on the supply of fresh meat. Now, he was enjoying his walk back along the river as the dawn's rays started to touch his face with warmth. Slung over his shoulder were several pounds of lurk meat, enough to last them for a week or two.

Last night's stumble into the darkness of the soul was not pleasant but now he felt strangely…perhaps on the verge of an epiphany. Certainly with the cool of the morning air and the warmth of the growing sun could play on your senses and he learned a long time ago that an environment can effect a spiritual experience. However, the giant knew not to force it.

Walking up to the cave entrance, Carl was a bit surprised to find Adam passed out on the ground right in front of the grave. At first the large man was concerned but then notice the rise and fall of Adam's breathing. The man was okay if perhaps a bit out of place having spent the whole night outside. Immediately, Carl felt bad for the man.

"No one should have to live feeling bad for something that was not their fault." Carl mumbled to himself, still watching Adam. No sooner did he say that did a light go on in the man's mind. Carl frowned for a moment as he let the realization sink in. He looked up with a different light in his eyes as he addressed the skies above him.

"Mama, you always wanted me to grow up into a good man. I think I didn't do a bad job at that but part of being a good man is letting go of the wrongs that happened. I'm sorry mama about what happened but it wasn't all my fault…it's time to let that go." Carl said quietly. He waited for a moment as a small smile came across his face. His warm and fuzzy feelings came to a halt when he heard Adam groan.

"Carl…what are you doing here?" Adam asked groggily.

"Oh, me? Just coming back from mirelurk hunting. I think a better question, if you don't mind my asking, is what are you doing here?" Carl asked cautiously. Adam glanced around with sleep heavy eyes, a bit curious to that question himself.

"I…must have fallen asleep out here. Amazing nothing ate me in the night." Adam realized.

"Well, let's get you up and we'll get started on breakfast." Carl announced, lending Adam a hand. Adam was a bit surprised when Carl simply picked him up to his feet. After Adam brushed himself off, they headed towards the Vault door.

"Sleep well?" Carl asked. Adam hesitated for a moment.

"Strangely, yes." Adam reported.

"Why is that strange?" Carl asked curiously.

"I had not slept well since after Leslie's death." Adam answered.

"So what made the change?"

"I- I think it's after I realized that killing all those Talons really wasn't going to bring her back. I mean, I always knew that but my actions said otherwise. She's still alive in my memories and I don't do her justice on being reckless and nearly getting myself killed trying to avenge her. She already rests in peace. I need to find the same for myself." Adam explained, punching in the pass code.

"After love, peace is something we could all use." Carl replied.

"Amen, preacher." Adam muttered.

--

James had just finished installing all the fusion cells that needed recharging in the generator before heading up towards Sven's workshop to find any spare scrap metal he could use to forge more of the bolts for his rifle. The pyromaniac was busy putting together more explosives as he had depleted a good portion of them during the past few weeks and he had a lot of catching up to do.

"You ever figure out how many mini-nukes it takes to create a full blown bomb?" James asked wearily. Sven shook his head.

"Nope, but I figure my cache over there might be a good guesstimate." Sven motioned over towards the rack that he kept exclusively for mini-nukes. James tried not to look at it.

"Besides, you think we're really going to go back and try to take that monster out?" Sven asked. James slumped his shoulders.

"I don't know. The one thing we do not have is information on it and it is information we desperately need. Those…extension…monster…tentacle…things, don't seem to travel far from the actual metro system, so as long as people stay away from the entrances…" James suggested.

"Yeah but it only seems to be getting bigger." Sven replied.

"But do we know how to kill it? You set off the biggest explosion we've ever had and that thing just laughed at us." James replied.

"I guess…maybe it'll run out of food or stuff…" Sven stated, wiring another bomb.

"We can only hope." James said.

The dilemma of where to proceed from here, especially with a carnivorous flood of slime lurking under the city, was silently eating on all of the regulators and Adam knew that when it came down to it, he would have to be the one to make the call. It was not a responsibility he wanted. His thoughts turned to Francis and what exactly would that old man want him to do in this situation.

Adam had at first thought that Francis was simply a grumpy old man who was too banged up to go regulating but also too stubborn to retire. After working with the man for awhile and listening to him bark, Adam learned that his first impression not completely correct. Francis was indeed a grumpy old man, but he was anal because he was an older man who knew he was running out of time. Long ago, maybe before dirt was invented, Francis was a visionary. He believed that the world of the post-apocalypse could be returned to its state before that day when all the bombs fell. He said himself that the technology existed. Regulator reports claimed that some areas across the country had used these technological marvels called "GECKs" or Garden of Eden Creation Kits. They might even be able to one day replicate the pre-war technology, the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave were certainly light years ahead of everyone else in that department.

The problem was, at least one of them according to Francis, was that there were too many people killing each other. The Rule of Law had been lost and with it the Principle of Grace. The Rule of Law kept order, its what prevented people from going wild and becoming raiders or taking matters into their own hands and circumventing a justice system, or oppressing others simply because they did not have the technology. The Principle of Grace was greater than the Rule of Law but it did not make sense without it. It was Grace that said even after someone had committed a crime or had fallen down on their luck or just simply needed a lousy drink of water, that person could be forgiven, or helped out, or given that small glass of water. All of this done with the knowledge that they would get nothing in return.

Adam had decided that Francis had a big idea that maybe he could help this section of the country return to order. The raiders, mutants, slavers and deathclaws would be wiped out and then he could turn his regulators to finding technology to clean the water, restore the land, bring back some semblance of a better world. Alas, as the years dragged on Francis probably found that the raiders just kept coming and there were never enough fallen angels who could be turned into regulators. Francis probably became that grumpy old man selling out caps for fingers knowing that his time was running out and his vision was scarcely being made a reality. The grumpy old man was not happy because he would never live to see his dream.

And now what would the old man say if he knew that the city that probably held the highest population of living people in New York had a massive carnivorous ooze growing under it? Adam wasn't sure he wanted to know because he was pretty certain he already knew the answer.

--

That evening they dined on the mutfruits, lurk meat and preserved foodstuff they had in storage. Otherwise, the mess room was deathly quiet. Even the rat did not seem to make noise as it helped itself to a can of Pork n Beans they placed on the floor. Each of them were lost in their own thoughts and Evelyn was always gravely quiet to begin with anyway. Besides, no one wanted to bring up the obvious elephant in the room, the one they had all been contemplating all day but did not want to talk about at all.

Kail on the other hand was probably left out of this loop. After all, she had napped most of the day.

"So how do you guys plan on addressing that thing in the metros?" the Brotherhood scribe mentioned nonchalantly, expecting an answer. She was met with silence.

"You guys don't have a plan yet?" she continued in mild shock.

"Well, we tried to blow it up once and that didn't go so well." Carl shrugged.

"Can't Sven build a bigger bomb then?" Kail replied.

"That's why I've been asking how many mini-nukes make a full nuke." Sven retorted.

"Look, I don't see a feasible way we can destroy that thing. It's not out to destroy the city, just the metros. I'd say live and let live." Adam stated.

"What happens when it realizes it's exhausting its food supply down there? I just realized, what happens when it decides to go hunting above ground?" James speculated.

"You guys can't just give up and not do anything about it." Kail said.

"Yes, we can. There's only four of us and then there's that thing that can get hit with Sven's backpack and then laugh at it. There's not a way we can beat that." Adam stated.

"You could talk to Ramirez, see if you could get help from the House. There's also the _Defiance_." Kail suggested.

"I think we've worn out our welcome with both of them." James mumbled.

"Well you can't just give up!" Kail cried.

"We have no other options, we have no army and we don't even know what that thing wants to do!" Adam shouted.

"Could we all just calm down?" James broke in.

_"Silence!" _a voice all filled their heads. Kail suddenly paled while the regulators stared around in bewilderment. One by one, their gazes fell on Evelyn.

_"If you seek knowledge on the creature's intents, I have felt them. I can explain this to you all but it does not please me to see you all argue like this." _the voice continued. For the first time in a long while, they actually saw some life in the girl's eyes, a kind of authority.

_"The creature has been feeding off of the materials of the other organisms it consumed. It now not only has knowledge of the city, but also the agendas and ambitions of the people it assimilated. It also now has known greed, ambition and hate. It is a creature with only partial intelligence but this intelligence is blinded by emotions it was never meant to have. Within three day's time it will come out from hiding and seek to destroy the inhabitants of the city. It will first strike the ship where the Brotherhood of Steel resides as that poses the most danger to it. It will then move onto the tower called the House before moving south to destroy the most vulnerable of the establishments, the placed called The Wall." _

Needless to say, the regulators were all hit with too many bits of data at once.

"Whoa, for a moment there I just thought I grew another voice with all the others in my head." Sven announced.

"How did she learn to do that? That's amazing. And all that other information was disturbing." Carl added in a stream of consciousness.

"It's never easy, is it?" James muttered.

"Okay, so we now know what it wants to do. Now I need a plan on how to kill it without getting killed myself." Adam grumbled.

_"It has a central mind and cardiovascular system which it keeps together in one unit. That is its center of life. It must follow the bulk of its muscular system. All what you have seen are its outer systems which is weak compared to its central system. This central area must pass a square which is in between the ship and the House. You will find enough explosives in the old car there to destroy it." _Evelyn communicated. Adam slumped for a bit as his brows furrowed in thought. He sighed before he spoke again.

"James…does killing this thing fall under Rule One-Two?" Adam asked. James looked up as if thinking.

"We're the only ones that know it wants to destroy the city and despite our small numbers we do have some equipment. Preventing this abomination from killing a lot of innocents, yeah I'd say that goes under Rule One-Two." James said, though not at all liking where this was going to lead.

"I'm going to need all of you if we're going to do this. I can't say anyone who doesn't want to do it can stay behind because we're going to need everyone last one of us if we want to have a chance to pull this off." Adam said. The others around the table nodded, even the rat had scurried up to join them now.

"So we're going to pull a me and do something crazy?" Sven asked.

"Sven, this is a little insane, even for you." James retorted.

"Ah, then we're making progress." Sven replied.

"Regardless, let's do this then. We'll take half the day tomorrow to prepare. Then we have to head out." Adam ordered.

--

The men furiously got to work in preparation. Adam had his firearms to clean and his daggers to balance and sharpen. Carl readied every single belt of 5mm ammunition he had and readied the whole mechanism. Sven, after he finished an armory's worth of bombs he threw together, also had to tend to his heavy incinerator. James heated the forge to the hottest he ever had and set to smelting the largest amount of high density bolts he ever created in a single sitting. They all had holes and dents in their armor that needed tending to as well.

However, after getting what little sleep they could and preparing for the journey and the fight ahead, the six of them and the rat could be seen heading south along the Hudson. No one talked about backing out as much as the thought might have came across their minds.

"Evelyn, do you happen to know when exactly this creature is going to attack?" Adam asked as they walked along the river.

_"Two nights from now, just after the sun sets." _

"What's the plan in the meantime?" Carl asked.

"You got any ideas, James?" Adam inquired.

"First we should at least talk with Tiberius at the _Defiance_. Maybe there's a way we can convince them. We should also at least warn both the House and The Wall so they can be ready. Evelyn said that the square where the creature would pass had plenty of explosives, I assume that means there's a lot of cars in the square. Sven would have to start rigging them to explode." James suggested.

"Sounds good, lets make this happen then." Adam agreed.

"So…you really think we can pull this off?" Carl asked.

"Well, it's not completely impossible." Sven replied.

"It's only impossible because there's no one crazy enough to try. It becomes possible when the idiot geniuses don't listen to everyone else and then make the impossible reality." James stated.

"Good thing you guys have me then. Me, and a couple mini-nukes." Sven announced.

"Sven, I'm not sure what to do with you half the time but I'm becoming more and more aware that I don't know what we'd do without you." Adam replied.

"You'd be sane." Sven retorted.

"God save me." James muttered. Kail giggled in reaction.

"I'm being serious." James responded.

"Well, let's go do the insane and impossible." Carl gave in.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Adam said.


	27. Chapter 27

"_The greatest achievement is selflessness…the greatest quality is seeking to serve others."_

_-Atisha _

"_To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle"_

_-Attributed to Confucius_

_

* * *

  
_

Under the streets in the metro systems, the creature continued to thrive and grow. The central nervous organ was a massive conglomerate of the minds of all the creatures and humans the first virus infected mutant was able to capture and assimilate. Internally, the mutated FEV virus had not completely succeeded in overriding the natural rejection reaction of the original organisms' minds. However, it was still able to bring life to these minds and able to slowly process them into a central core which it was slowly consolidating as it steadily subdued the organ's natural rejection behavior.

With enough tissue, muscle and bone resources that it had gathered, it sporadically sent its super mutant like muscle thralls above ground to go hunt more organisms. The time was ticking down, it knew this fact. Very soon there would only be one living organism in New York City and it would be grotesquely glorious indeed.

--

The regulators all decided that they would have to split up as they were all running out of time with too many places to visit. Adam led Evelyn and the rat back to the House where he would drop the two off before warning Ramirez. Sven and Carl were sent to The Wall to at least warn the freed slaves if not also try to recruit a few for help. James and Kail would try to reason with Star Paladin Tiberius at the _Defiance_.

The sun was beginning to set in the sky, casting pale orange on the landscape. After the groan of the heavy gate opening stopped, Adam, Evelyn and the rat stepped inside the compound. At this point, Adam did not care what the other people might have thought and simply addressed Evelyn in the compound.

"Evelyn, you and the rat stay here tonight. If anything happens…well…just stay alive." Adam trailed off before searching for Supervisor Ramirez. Conveniently, he found him just further inside the compound.

"Supervisor Ramirez." Adam greeted. The House leader glanced at him.

"Regulator." the supervisor simply responded. Adam suddenly felt awkward on just how exactly was he suppose to explain the rather bizarre catastrophe that was approaching all of them.

"Look, I'm just going to warn you that it would be best to put your security on high alert for the next few days. We suspect there will be a lot of danger out there later." Adam finally said.

"More danger? Did you tick off Talon Company again or perhaps accidentally let a bunch of mutants out of their pen?" Ramirez demanded, none too happy. Adam shrugged off the quip.

"Look, I don't know how to explain this danger to you, other than the fact that it's nothing like you or I have ever seen. Just double your security and post some men to watch the underground metro system. I know you blocked those up but…you know, just in case." Adam suggested.

"I think a better suggestion would be if you were to simply leave, regulator. I certainly have a few less headaches when you're not around." Ramirez stated. Adam glared at him before sighing.

"You're probably right on that one." Adam replied and simply turned to leave.

The regulator was quietly mumbling at the injustice and indignity of it all when he suddenly heard someone calling to him. Before he could turn around someone had literally tackled him in an embrace.

"Adam, you came back! I was so worried about you!" it was Marilyn, obviously overjoyed to see him. Adam let out a rather stress filled laugh.

"Yes, I'm sorry I did not let you know what was going on. Me and the guys had to stop at the Vault for awhile."

"Are you going to stay for awhile?" Marilyn asked, still holding onto him. Adam only frowned.

"I'm sorry…something is…coming up. The guys and I have to prepare."

"What thing? What's going on now?" Marilyn asked, her eyes wide. Adam became very quiet. She really didn't deserve this.

"Listen, Marilyn…if you see anything bizarre, and you'll know what it is when you see it, just get the heck out of New York City. Run, do not turn back. Leave the House, leave everything and head north. Follow the west side of the river and you'll find a cave. That's my Vault. You'll be safe there. Here's the password." Adam pushed a faded note into Marilyn's hands.

"Just be safe." Adam said before getting ready to leave.

"Adam, what's going on?" Marilyn demanded, suddenly becoming very concerned. The regulator turned around one last time.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you a lot of things. Just stay alive, all right…and take this, I won't be needing it." Adam said before leaving a very speechless Marilyn, disappearing behind the closing gate.

The regulator had left her his entire bag of caps.

--

Carl and Sven reached the entrance of The Wall just as the shadows were starting to win over what little light was left. The two regulators noticed that the grotesque, impaled human ornaments were still left in place but at least it did not appear that any fresh ones had been set up. The lawmen were greeted by a group of jovial guards who were otherwise relaxed but kept their rifles ready.

"Guys, hey guys! The Liberators have returned!" one of the guards called out to the rest of the city.

"What happened to the other two?" another asked the men.

"They had to take care of a few things." Carl replied.

"We've done well since after you left. Everyone was trained in manufacturing, repair and trade. Those that were too programmed to entertain still do that for passing caravan man…but nothing too physical if you know what you mean. We've been doing very well since you freed us." another guard announced.

"That's awesome." Sven smiled.

"But we have another problem that we should warn you about." Carl cautioned.

"What, more slavers?" the guard asked.

"No…some creature that we ran into. This thing is a monster and its huge. We know that two nights from now it intends to play havoc on the city. We need you to know that you should plug up any pipes or entrances that lead underground or into the metro systems. Also, be prepared to leave the city. It may be too powerful to be fought against." Carl told the very horrified guards.

"Also, we may need some help." Sven added. The guards looked appalled.

"If what you say is true…we're completely not ready for an attack. This is our home, we can't leave it. I'm sorry, but we may not be able to help you as we have to prepare here." the guards apologized. Disappointed but understanding, Carl simply nodded.

"That's okay. Just prepare. Good luck." the regulator told them and he and Sven simply turned around and left the same way they came.

--

Knight Rufus and the Initiate stood in utter boredom hoping that their shift would come to an end soon. His power helmet turning to his superior, the Initiate radioed a question.

"Tell me Knight Rufus, why does it always seem that you and I are the ones that are holding the gangway watch?"

"I think it's because we've always been chosen before so now they don't bother trying to assign it to anyone else." Knight Rufus muttered.

"Well, I don't mind it terribly, except it always gets a little interesting whenever one of those regulators show up." the Initiate stated.

"Well, let's hope we don't see one of them so close to the end of our shift." Knight Rufus replied.

"I think it's too late for that Knight Rufus, and I have a feeling this is going to be the most interesting visit from them yet." the Initiate stated, pointing in the distance. Knight Rufus looked over to see Scribe Kail leading one of the olive coated regulators. The Brotherhood knight sighed.

"They always manage to find a way onto the ship." Knight Rufus muttered.

"Much to Star Paladin Tiberius' ire." the Initiate chuckled. Knight Rufus was glad the helmet hid his equally amused smirk.

"Welcome back, Scribe Kail." Knight Rufus greeted.

"Thank you, Knight Rufus." Kail replied.

"I think Star Paladin Tiberius would rather the regulator stay here off ship." the Initiate announced.

"I'll claim responsibility on that one, Initiate. The regulator is with me." the Brotherhood scribe ordered. The two knights relaxed their postures and stood aside.

"Very well." Knight Rufus agreed, letting them pass. James cautiously followed Kail up the ramp.

"Well…that was easy." the regulator murmured in surprise.

He spoke too soon.

"So let me get this straight…" Star Paladin Tiberius growled as he sat across from his desk. Kail and James nervously shifted, waiting for him to process the whole thing.

"I'm suppose to believe some crap story of some mythical beast you guys came up with that's going to attack my ship while I have no other stories to cross reference your highly unbelievable account and at the same time our intelligence agents have confirmed that the Enclave intend to strike us at the same exact time you have mentioned?" Tiberius scowled. Kail and James glanced at each other. They had no clue the Enclave were planning on attacking the _Defiance_ at the same time but it certainly made sense.

"I assure you Star Paladin, this is all true." Kail asserted.

"You regulators certainly find a way to get on my ship through any means. I'm starting to wonder if you're all actually Enclave spies." Tiberius fumed, ignoring the Scribe and glaring at James.

"Feel free to interrogate me." James shrugged, not at all wanting to play this game with the Brotherhood leader. Tiberius was quick to respond.

"Don't tempt me. No, Scribe Kail, I will not send men to help you chase this mythical beast. As a matter of fact, I need you to remain on the _Defiance _to man the defenses. We're going to need every able bodied person who can pull a trigger." Kail simply nodded.

"Very well, as you command."

"Good. Now get off my ship, regulator." Tiberius growled before leaving the room.

"You don't have to do this. You know just as well as I do that that thing may destroy this ship. As big as the guns are on this thing, I don't think they'll do enough damage. Especially if the Enclave will be around." James hissed. Kail closed her eyes, also not liking her decision.

"I've made my choice, James. I'm still part of the Brotherhood. They are my family, I have a commitment to them." Kail replied.

"Julia, you have no commitment to a tin head who only sees you all as pawns." James growled. Kail placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not doing this for that tin head, I'm doing this for my brothers and sisters here on the ship." Kail answered. James simply stood there feeling helpless, certainly not liking the whole situation.

"Just…be safe." James muttered, finally giving in. He was a bit surprised when Kail slowly wrapped her arms around him.

"You too, James."

"Good-bye." James said quickly, not able to look at her.

"Good-bye, James." Kail whispered.

Under the night skies, James stomped back to the designated area, not liking how everything was going.

--

The area Evelyn had talked about was several blocks south from the House in a large square that was probably a busy intersection before the war. The regulators all met in the center of the square and held a quick discussion under the pale new moon.

"The men at The Wall could not send anyone to help us." Carl and Sven announced with a hint of disappointment as all four had gathered.

"Ramirez won't see reason either. I think he's kind of glad we're gone." Adam added.

"Tiber won't be helping us either. He suspects the Enclave will launch an attack at the same time." James muttered.

"What happened to your friend?" Carl asked James.

"The tin head ordered Kail to stay on board. He wants every Brotherhood solider on deck for the battle." James answered.

"Oh man, now we really need to kill this thing." Carl stated.

"Perhaps there's a way we could give them a hand on the ship, and by hand I mean a few more explosions?" Sven offered.

"Evelyn mentioned this place for a reason. Anyone with a brain powerful enough to insert their thoughts into ours is smart enough for me. Let's see what we can do here first before we start chasing other options." Adam stated. The others agreed.

"Lets see what we got here." Carl stated, starting to scan the square.

"Sven…please tell me you see what I see…" James murmured, suddenly noticing something peculiar about the street.

"Oh man…I saw it a long time ago." Sven chuckled, trying to keep down his glee.

The entire square was littered with abandoned car wrecks, all of them having stopped where they were when the bombs landed. It seemed most, if not all of them, still had their engines intact and they were within close proximity to each other.

"If we rig them up with enough explosives, we can turn this whole square into an inferno." Adam speculated.

"Seems I should have been asking how many cars does it take to make a full nuke." Sven murmured.

"We just need to wait for the monster to pass its central systems, like what Evelyn said, right through here and have Sven hit the detonator." James informed. The pyromaniac immediately put his bag down and started taking out all manner of bombs, wires and other equipment.

"Well, no use putting off till tomorrow what you can rig to explode today. Let's get to work!" Sven urged.

–

The dawning rays brought the regulators' handiwork to light in the still gentle orange of the rising sun. The square had too many old vehicles to rig to explode but Sven had learned that would be irrelevant to do so. A ring of cars that were in a median distance between the center of the square and its outskirts were all armed from a remote detonator. Sven even rigged a fail safe plan.

"In the very center of the square, you'll see that large military transport vehicle. That will undoubtedly produce the largest explosion of any of the wrecks here. I've set that to go off from another remote. The blast it should cause should be enough to catch the other wrecks which would set off a chain reaction..."

"And hopefully turn everything within this square into an atomic mushroom cloud." James finished for Sven.

"Dude, don't steal my thunder, I wanted to say that." Sven grumbled.

"Speaking of saying, last night I was working on these radio pieces I salvaged out of the power helmets of some of the Enclave. I think we can use these head radios to communicate." James announced, handing each of them a rather spartan and flimsy looking ear clip, microphone and antenna assembly. Each of them were powered by a small energy cell. Incredibly, they all worked.

"So what do we do now?" Carl asked as they continued to survey the square from their perch on the roof of an overlooking building, still adjusting the radio on his head.

"We wait. I'd suggest we all rest too. At least, I'm going to sleep before I start asking myself why we're doing this again." Adam grumbled.

–

Aboard the _Defiance_, Knight Rufus and the Initiate walked along the bow towards the midship decks. When Star Paladin Tiberius ordered all hands on deck, he meant it. Even the Iron Storm troopers who were usually running raids out in the city were called back to defend the destroyer, the elite troops now under the command of Knight Hail.

All of the power armored soldiers still moved around on the ship with the obviously charged atmosphere of soldiers who know that very soon they would fight and they may very well die. The Enclave was the Brotherhood's most feared enemy and an almost equal adversary. Knight Rufus did not like the feeling but he could not imagine what the Initiate was going through. The new soldier had yet to see a true fire fight.

The two soldiers passed the infirmary where the Scribes and knights trained in medicine were busy prepping beds and bandages while avoiding the initiates who were sprinkling sand on the decks. This was in anticipation of the blood that would inevitably spill on the steel floors, the sand would at least provide some traction and prevent others from slipping in fluids and gore of the dying.

"Scribe Kail, are you all right?" Knight Rufus saluted the one scribe that seemed to have a distant look in her eye.

"I'm fine, thank you, Knight Rufus. Right now, I'm boiling as many compounds and medicines I learned when I was off ship. Lord knows where going to need as much as we can." the Scribe stated broodingly.

"Agreed, Scribe." Knight Rufus answered.

"It might not be enough..." Kail whispered.

"Say that again, Scribe?" Rufus asked, unable to hear her. He and the Initiate were simply waved off by the apparently disturbed scribe who did not seem to be in the mood to talk, her gaze focused on some object in the far distance. Her hope rested on four men who had far less than they did for she was certain for all the technology they had on the _Defiance_ it would not be enough.


	28. Chapter 28

_  
Some are born great_

_Some are thrust into greatness_

_Some achieve it seeking something greater_

_And some are just too crazy to know better_

_

* * *

  
_

It is during the closing days of the cold months some 278 years After Destruction, some 278 years after man brought a nuclear holocaust upon himself. The apocalypse came and went and now the survivors still suffer from the sins of their fathers. Transgression compounding transgression, humanity was plunged into an even worse dark age where people struggled to survive, their petty and short sighted dramas only mirroring the great mistake that caused the bombs to fall two centuries ago.

And now a hostile cesspool of the brokenness and sins of man, from the radiation and the engineered virus, to his greed, pride, ambition and selfishness was readying to spill onto the city once more. In life it promised to bring death.

–

The regulators sat around on the building rooftop again during the late afternoon, having given up trying to rest and now could only wait impatiently for that which they did not want to go through. It was a rather odd feeling. Adam, who was crouched on the roof watching the slowly falling sun, looked over at James. He hoped the intellect would have an answer to a question he had been contemplating.

"James, remind me why we're doing this." Adam ordered more than asked.

"Doing what?" James asked for clarification.

"Shooting to get ourselves killed for a bunch of people who don't want our help. It doesn't make any sense. I'm not even sure it's the right thing to do, provided there is a right and wrong." Adam stated. James simply nodded.

"I suspect we're all doing this for slightly different reasons." the marksman replied.

"I'm still saying it doesn't make sense for me to do this, chances are we're just going to get ourselves killed anyway and even if we do pull it off, no one is really going to care. The raiders will go back out to killing people, Tiber on the _Defiance_ will still be a jerk and the people at the House will continue with business as usual." Adam complained.

"Being human is more than just being an organism. Humans have a mind, body and soul." James replied.

"What does that have to do with it?" Adam asked.

"I suspect that just because something does not make conscious, rational sense, when something deep within us leads or tell us to go different, it is the beckoning of the soul." James speculated.

"Mama used to say that had something to do with the hand of God." Carl stated.

"Yes, though I do suppose the different faiths had different ways of explaining it, if different perspectives on the whole matter." James cautioned.

"So we're all in agreement that no matter how crazy this is, we all believe for some reason this is the right thing to do?" Adam sighed having stated a mostly rhetorical question.

"Possibly. Even if there are a bunch of raiders out there, even the life of a raider is still a human life. I believe life is precious, especially in this day and age. It's worth protecting against some sort of...carnivorous beast." James offered

"I take it Sven and I believe it's the right thing to do because people need our help whether they want it or not." Carl added. Sven nodded in agreement.

"And I get the feeling I won't sleep well at night if I just turn tail and run...even if this may mean me sleeping permanently." Adam grumbled.

"Not everything in life is rational...and perhaps there is something inhumane to demanding that everything be cold and rationally decided. Even that crazy thing called love isn't completely reasonable at all." James suggested.

"Like you should talk." Sven quipped.

"Shut up." James grumbled.

"Seriously, I think we should pray though, before this happens. I'm thinking we're going to need some help from on high." Carl suggested. The regulators glanced at each other.

"Good idea." Sven nodded.

"It indeed has been awhile since I made my peace with God." James muttered.

"Whatever, I'll let you do the talking, preacher." Adam spoke to Carl. The giant nodded as the four of them got comfortable though the taxing degradation of two hundred years was clearly evident from the four men. Carl stood with his arms stretched to the heavens while Sven showed some normalcy clasping his palms together. James knelt and bowed his head while Adam held out his right hand as if ready to take an oath.

"Well...um, God, you've gotten us out of a lot, and mama always said you was watching us and that you make sure the right is eventually done though you give the bad guys a chance to change their ways. So uh...I guess I ask that you let the good guys win again tonight and it would be really great if we all got of this alive, us and our friends. So...yeah, and God please have mercy in case I forgot to mention anything important. Amen." Carl finished his rather unorthodox prayer. Sven broke from his prayer stance and punched the air with a final "Boo-yah" to add to the "Amen." James crossed himself while muttering something he learned as a kid while Adam saluted at the end. Any theologian from any faith before the war would have probably been mildly appalled.

"That better count for something." Adam grumbled, looking out on the horizon.

"We're going to need it." James said.

–

Knight Rufus and the Initiate stood on their post by the gunwales on the starboard bow, the front side of the ship closest to the dock. They were expecting an Enclave attack and they believed it would come during the evening. The only question now was as to when specifically they would attack. The Brotherhood of Steel soldiers could do nothing but wait and watch. It was not the most pleasant business. Knight Rufus had yet to meet a person who enjoyed waiting for what may be their impending doom. Most men just wanted to get it over with.

"You think we'll be able to hold them off, sir?" the Initiate asked, sitting back in the gunner's chair of the anti-aircraft weapon they were assigned to. Knight Rufus frowned behind his helmet.

"We can't 'think' on this one, Initiate. We _have_ to hold them off. We _have_ to defeat them." Knight Rufus answered solemnly, scanning the skies.

"Why does the Enclave hate us so much, anyway?" the Initiate asked.

"Some screwed up belief that the soil we stand on needs to be inherited by a genetically pure race of Americans of whom only they represent. We're just fighting them for the right to live." Rufus explained.

"Well, that certainly gives me a better motivation." the Initiate stated, leaning forward and readying the AA gun.

"What was your motivation before?" Rufus asked.

"Not dying."

–

Kail and the other medics shuffled around nervously in the medical ward. Other such medically trained soldiers were posted at regular intervals throughout the ship but Kail was to stay here in the ward as the chief doctor. The combat armor under her scribe's robes felt uncomfortable and she could have done without the combat helmet resting on her head. On the flip side, she did not relish the idea of getting knocked out or worse by falling debris.

The scribes understood their place was not necessarily combat. Some of them even lacked basic protection such as the combat armor that Kail was fortunate enough to obtain. Most of them certainly felt useless though a part of their minds nagged them that it would probably be best that they remained feeling useless. If there was nothing for them to do then that meant that their brothers and sisters in arms were not dead or dying.

Still, Kail was further aggravated by the thought that the Enclave would be fighting them just at the moment that creature would probably decide to show itself. Belatedly she realized that in fact it was probably the other way around. With the dead Enclave agents that thing was able to assimilate, it most likely decided to choose that particular time as the _Defiance_ and the Enclave would be too busy focusing on each other. This was massively frustrating. The Scribe clenched her fists in anger.

"What can I do?" Kail growled under her breath.

"Something wrong, Kail?" another, older Scribe asked her. Kail looked up to find herself staring into the kind eyes of an old mentor.

"Oh, Scribe Lex...um nothing, just...frustrated about this, all of this." Kail lied.

"Indeed, though I suppose we can take comfort in the fact that none of us need to fire the guns." the older man murmured, running his hand through his white hair.

"Yes, that is true, Scribe Lex." Kail murmured.

"However, seeing as you are head nurse and probably had some experience out there, I'm sure if you could find a listening fire crew, they may heed to a few tips you may have for them. The men certainly wouldn't mind the knowledge that if anything were to happen to them, they would be right next to the _Defiance's_ best doctor." Lex added. Kail glanced at him as the revelation also hit her.

"That...that's right, Scribe Lex." Kail stammered, a nervous hand reaching under her helmet to restlessly scratch her head.

"We will await your orders here. I can keep watch for awhile." Lex offered with a knowing smile.

"Thank you, I will return shortly." Kail announced and left quickly.

Which was the way to the laser turret again?

–

On the far side of the square, the side furthest from where the creature was expected to arrive, Carl and Adam stood watch on the top of a building while James and Sven hid in an adjacent complex within one of the middle floors as that was more hidden. After the slow ticking minutes seemed to be going nowhere for awhile, James and Sven both walked up to the top of the building so they could carry a conversation across the rooftops. Adam looked over at the two.

"You want to bet on the monster changing its mind?" Adam called in mild jest.

"I'd sincerely doubt that." James replied.

"Guys the sun is just starting to set. We got awhile to go." Carl added. Sven glanced nervously down at the square.

"With all the explosives I rigged down there, there's no way I'm going to try and disarm them. Only some crazy would want to do that, you know, just in case something happened."

"But you're the crazy that rigged them in the first place." James pointed out.

"There's nothing crazy about rigging that stuff to explode, it's crazy to try and disarm them and risk them accidentally going off when you could just detonate them without accident." Sven replied.

"Carl's right, we still have too much time to start getting impatient. Besides, I think I may be finally convincing myself on why I'm doing this." Adam stated.

"And why's that?" James called from across the rooftop.

"Because maybe somewhere in my head...I believe like you guys that there can be a better world." Adam admitted.

"You know that there is no place in that better world for people like us...men who have to maintain peace." James replied.

"Yeah but I'd call that a good reason to retire." Adam answered.

"Amen." James agreed.

"But I don't think we'll be retiring anytime soon." Adam stated.

"Guys, look." Carl interrupted, holding his minigun in one hand while pointing with his free one. The men followed his lead to look over in the distant skyline. Towards the southwest, they could see small dots in the sky while bright trails flashed out against them, cutting across the horizon. Soon, they could hear the distant echoes of explosions.

"It's started, the Enclave is attacking." James stated grimly, getting a better look through his scope. Adam jumped into action.

"All right men, set the plan in motion. Get to your positions and pray that this will work. Wish me luck." Adam stated and rushed down towards the fire escape.

"Don't forget to bring what I gave you!" Sven called.

"It's waiting for me at the bottom of the escape." Adam replied. Several minutes later he was on the familiar pavement of the ground of New York City. Taking the package, the regulator rushed off in the direction of the _Defiance. _He was hoping this would not be his last marathon.

–

The _Defiance_ was a single battery of fire that proved to do nothing but do exactly what its namesake suggested to the Enclave troopers. Enclave vertibirds desperately ducked and weaved to avoid the numerous trails of anti-aircraft fire from the ship's guns while soldiers who already made it on the ground still sought cover from the massive rifles that had earlier devastated the super mutant army.

"Up high, eight o'clock!" Knight Rufus warned, spotting for the Initiate who swung the gun to the proper direction and opened fire. The twin guns spat shells from their chambers at an alarming rate but even Knight Rufus was impressed when the Initiate expertly created another fireball in the sky.

"Swing back to your three o'clock, take care of those troops on the ground, I'll watch the sky!" Rufus yelled over the noise. Almost immediately an explosion erupted fire off one of the larger turrets dangerously close to them. Rufus steadied himself, momentarily glad that the Initiate continued to fire and ignored the calamity that would have so easily spooked lesser men. Almost out of instinct, Knight Rufus spotted an incoming danger and his heart leaped into his throat.

"Up high, six o'clock, six o'clock!" Rufus screamed. The Initiate swung just in time to watch a vertibird racing towards them, firing off gatling lasers in a strafing run. Knight Rufus scrambled out of the way of the incoming energy bursts while the Initiate doggedly fired on. At the last minute he was rewarded with one of the engines exploding and the aircraft spiraled off to crash into the bay. The Initiate returned his attention back on the dock. They ignored another explosion that rocked the ship.

"Knight Rufus!" the Initiate called. The soldier refused to take his attention off the sky.

"What's the problem, soldier?"

"What do I shoot at, sir?!" the Initiate cried, the guns still not slacking. Knight Rufus shot a look at him.

"What are you bloody talking about, soldier?" Rufus demanded. The Initiate quickly pointed with his hand.

"What do I shoot at!?" the Initiate screamed again. Rufus did not have an answer, much less an understanding of the sight before them.

–

Up on the laser turret, two Brotherhood Knight sat nervously as Scribe Kail watched over their shoulders, her arms sternly folded in front of her. The soldier on the right nervously spoke through his radio.

"Scribe Kail, we are under the direct orders from Star Paladin Tiberius not to fire on any targets without his specific authorization." the soldier admitted.

"You let me take responsibility on that one, soldier. I have a feeling the Paladin has no clue what we're going to be dealing with." the Scribe grumbled. The two knights cast surprised glances at each other. What was this Scribe talking about? Suddenly, the intercom in the turret went off. They were greeted by Tiberius' gruff voice.

"Laser Turret, I need you soldiers to turn to the starboard. We have a target that needs vaporizing." Tiberius reported from the bridge. The knights immediately started punching in the proper commands. Kail found the revolution of the turret agonizingly slow.

"Whatever that thing is, I need you to fire immediately into the center of it." Tiberius stated.

"Star Paladin, what exactly is this 'thing' you're talking about?" one of the knights asked.

"I don't know what it is, soldier. You'll know it when you-"

"Holy crap." one of the turret gunners suddenly blathered. Kail nearly fainted herself.

Along the dock, an abominable mountain of pulsating flesh and muscle, blood and organs took up every inch of space along three city blocks. Massive, fleshy tentacles careened and swayed high into the air, occasionally swatting a vertibird out of the sky. In the center of it all, the flood of pink tissue seemed to pile up like some grotesque hill that was about three stories high at its peak. It was the sight out of a nightmare or quite possibly hell itself.

"What are you waiting for!? Fire!" Kail screamed. The knights pulled themselves out of their reverie and one of them flipped open the cover on the fire button.

"Opening fire!" the knight announced and slammed on the button.

A brilliant column of blue light erupted from the _Defiance _and slammed into the creature.

–

Adam continued to trot through the streets. He had been quietly watching the dark shapes form in front of him until even he could see the large, hill like shadow that was thankfully off in the distance. A part of his mind wondered why he insisted on running towards this ominous figure of certain danger but he had to turn that voice off.

He only stopped when he noticed a flash that lit up his surroundings. Finally coming to a halt, he tried to make sense of what he saw in front of him. After a few moments, still too far away to see anything in detail, his eyes suddenly widened.

He cursed and immediately started running again.

–

Her eyes adjusting from the sudden flash of light, Kail forced herself to stare at the window, waiting for her eyes to come back into focus. The sight that greeted her was beyond what she could have expected.

The beam had scorched a large, blackened crater into the hill of flesh and yet something told her the creature was not dead. She did noticed the outer edges of the thing, the tissues that surrounded the buildings, seemed to recede towards the center until, alarmingly before her very eyes, it had erased any evidence that it had been struck.

"It has done nothing!" one of the knights cried.

"Hit it again, soldiers!" Star Paladin Tiberius' voice echoed over the radio.

"It's recharging, we won't be able to fire for another twenty seconds." the other knight reported. Kail glanced out the window.

"We won't have that much time." the Scribe reported.

"What do you mean?" a knight asked. Kail pointed at exactly what was troubling her.

A massive tentacle had wrapped around a large wreck of an ancient truck and the appendage was slowly starting to sway back. Judging by where it was on the creature's grasp and the distance between them, all of them could guess where exactly it aimed to throw that truck.

"Come on, we have to get out of here!" Kail shouted, rapping on the knights' shoulder armor. The two knights hesitated.

"Move, you are going to die if you don't move!" Kail screamed. The knight glanced one last time at the truck and the appendage that was just starting to clench as it prepared to throw.

It was all the convincing they needed.

–

Knight Rufus and the Initiate could only gape in horrified awe. No matter how many rounds the Initiate poured into whatever area he could on the monster, the flesh simply seemed to absorb the rounds. Sure, flecks and fragments of the tissues would explode off but then they simply seemed to be re-assimilated into the creature while the rounds simply disappeared into the bloodied pink.

Knight Rufus watched a shadow suddenly pass overhead and his heart sank when he realized it was a large truck. He felt even worse when he saw it slam into the bridge.

A massive explosion abruptly shook him off his feet and threw off the Initiate's aim. Immediately, large fragments of steel and the _Defiance's _structures started to fall. Knight Rufus quickly got up and was able to pull the Initiate off the gunner's chair just before a large steel fragment destroyed the gun with an abrupt, grinding screech.

"What do we do?" the Initiate cried.

"We get away from this area, the bridge is going to collapse on us if we stay here." Knight Rufus replied and they both immediately made their way towards the midship decks.

Rushing up the stairway, they were both thrown off their feet when another tremor wracked the ship. A large car had been hurled and slammed into the destroyer's hull. A mushroom cloud belched over the water. Rufus cursed.

"We have to get out of here!" Rufus yelled, pulling the Initiate to his feet.

"Why, what's wrong?" the Initiate cried.

"That thing just blew a hole in the water line, this ship is going to take on water!" Rufus cried.

Already, they could feel the whole structure starting to tilt.

As if on cue, Scribe Kail, two other knights and what appeared to be the whole department of Scribes, materialized before them heading towards the direction of Rufus and the Initiate. Simultaneously, a door burst opened revealing an inferno of flames from which another knight stepped out of. It was none other than Knight Hail.

"Someone needs to tell Tiberius that we need to abandon ship!" Rufus yelled.

"Tiberius is dead." Hail replied.

"What?!" the Initiate cried.

"The truck took out the bridge structure. The back of my armor absorbed most of the explosion, I do not know how I'm still alive. All I know is that where Tiberius was standing behind me is now under the burning wreck of a truck. He's dead." Hail explained.

"That means...Scribe Lex is in command now." Knight Rufus stated. All the scribes, including Kail, looked up to their new leader. The older man looked around again before another groan and sudden tilt from the ship elicited a response from him.

"Abandon ship, evacuate off the stern dock and get as far away from that monster as possible! Grab the wounded as well!" Scribe Lex shouted.

"What about the technology? Our records?" another scribe asked.

"This ship is on a dock, it won't sink far and if it capsizes on its side, it still won't be completely submerged. Divers can salvage it later when it is safe but we need to get off now!" Lex asserted.

"Remember, keep as far away from that monster and look for its tendrils!" Julia Kail reminded as she led the scribes off the ship.

–

Adam reached into his coat and savored a quick gulp of purified water before tossing the bottle away. Before him was this abominable, evil sea of blood and flesh and it was his job to get its attention, to lead it, coax it, towards the square.

He was only glad the present he got to get its attention was from his favorite pyromaniac.

Sven had explained that this piece of equipment was a simple tube operated missile launcher, perhaps a single-shot fire and forget weapon before the war. Sven had taken the liberty of making sure the wires and everything else was in operation. Adam had no trouble believing him.

_"I also added a small extra package of explosives on the missile warhead but it should not deviate the flight path too much." _Adam remembered Sven telling him. Hefting the tube over his shoulder, Adam aimed towards a car that was engulfed to its doors in the monster's flesh. His finger rested on the trigger.

"Forgive me Leslie, but for now I really hope not to see you anytime soon, sweetheart."

The tube coughed a plume of smoke and the missile shot out true to its aim. The live projectile slammed into the ancient vehicle and detonated the whole wreck. From his sizable distance away from the main portion of the monster, Adam watched as the creature seemed to patch the new hole in its flesh by redistributing its tissues. Suddenly, the hellish muck started to roll towards him.

"That's right, follow me." Adam murmured and immediately turned on his heels.

He seriously hoped he could continue to outrun this thing.

* * *

_Author's Note: For those of you who might be wondering why the rapid updates; I'm still on vacation. This is how I relax. I am stubbornly clinging to the belief that I am not a workaholic._


	29. Chapter 29

"_And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - St. Paul, 1__st__ letter to the Corinthian Church_

"_Whoever shall come [before God] with a good deed will gain ten times the like thereof; but whoever shall come with an evil deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof; and none shall be wronged." - Surah 6:160, from the most respected Qur'an_

"_The day is short, the work is much, the workers are lazy, the reward is great, and the Master is pressing. He would also say: It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task, but neither are you free to absolve yourself from it." - attributed to Rabbi Tarfon from the Talmud_

_

* * *

  
_

She could feel it. A great, overwhelming flood of darkness, hostility with just a touch of...being lost? It did not matter, it still meant evil and in that terrible mire she felt a few good souls whom she had learned to call...friends. Yes, they were the only ones that had watched over her, cared for her, respected her and now they were in danger. The whole city was in danger.

What could she possibly do?

And yet, something beckoned to her. Hers was the most powerful mind in the city and with some quick thinking ahead, some feeling of the emotions around her and she then understood. It was a heavy burden, this information that came to her and yet it only demanded one answer. Could she take up that heavy yoke? Could she carry through with the answer?

She had no choice and yet she was completely free to choose and so she did. It was as if destiny beckoned to her and she answered its call.

–

James and Sven waited with growing impatience within the ruined walls of the building. It had been longer than they would have wanted but on the flip side, they both understood that there was no part of them that wanted to wait any length of time to begin with. To make matters worse, they both understood that the explosions that had been dully rolling from the direction of the _Defiance_ had ended awhile ago. James activated the radio set on his head.

"Carl, you see anything up there?" James' question issued through all their headsets.

"Nope. Sorry James, there's nothing going on up here." Carl reported.

"What about the direction of the _Defiance_? Do you see anything there?" James pressed. He heard Carl sigh.

"There's been a dark cloud coming from the ground in the direction of the ship. I can't be too certain what exactly is causing that smoke." Carl reported.

"Why didn't you mention this before?" James demanded.

"I honestly didn't notice it until a couple moments ago and I figured I should wait for more definite information before I mentioned anything." Carl answered calmly, knowing exactly why James was suddenly ornery.

"...Thanks, I'm sorry, Carl. I didn't mean to get excited." James apologized.

"She'll be okay, son. She's a smart girl." Carl radioed back. James didn't respond.

"I don't know why you guys are talking about anything being 'okay,' but I got a monster coming right behind me!" Adam's desperate voice suddenly chimed in their ears.

"Adam, where are you?" James quickly asked, still listening in on his radio.

"I should be appearing right now." Adam panted. Sure enough, they could see Adam's figure appear at the far side of the square, quickly weaving through the wrecks of the cars before shooting through the alleyway between the buildings and out of their sight.

"Where's the monster?" Carl asked over the radio.

"It should be coming." Adam replied, stopping just behind the buildings, involuntarily bending over to catch his breath.

"We still don't have a visual on it." James reported, watching with his sharp eyes.

Behind the buildings, Adam decided he did not want to react to that. It was his part in this whole plan to grab the creature's attention and lead it here. He did not want to contemplate the idea that the monster had changed course while he was running. He never remembered it ever being that far out of sight. Suddenly, above him on the building, he could hear Carl's minigun starting to whine.

"Nevermind, I see it!" Carl reported.

"You know what to do, men." Adam said. He was greeted with the sounds of the regulators' various weapons firing.

Up on the rooftop, the minigun issued a continuous roar as Carl steadily sprayed into the slow moving flood of muscle and blood. The rounds seemed to disappear harmlessly into the creature but for the moment he did not mind. To his side, he could hear the inhumane scream of James' rail rifle which certainly bored larger craters into the creature's flesh but were rather sporadic. Even more frequent was Sven's incinerator which was lobbing bursts of napalm which seemed to land and splash fire on this horrible carpet. Perhaps it provided the most amount of damage of the three weapons.

"You guys see what might be that central system Evelyn was talking about?" Adam asked through the radio.

"Not yet." James replied. The gory soup had now occupied half of the square.

"You think this thing even cares that we're shooting at it?" Carl asked over the roar of his gun.

"Quite frankly, I don't even think it notices, not even the wonderful stuff from heaven I'm laying on this thing seems to bother it. Rather discourteous of it." Sven replied, doggedly dropping more flame on the monster.

"Hey guys, I got something." James suddenly reported.

"That better be what we want it to be, James." Adam replied on the radio. James peered through his scope, studying what he saw.

It was hard to decide what exactly it was, some spheroid bulge on top of a more oblique, muscular mound that protruded from the rest of the mass. After watching a few minutes, James realized he detected a strong but steady throb coming from the more muscular bulge and the answer suddenly dawned on him.

"Guys, I think I found it's cardiovascular system. Evelyn said that it's brain and heart where both together. The bulging mass over there that seems to be pulsating, that's probably the heart. On top of it is probably the central nervous system." James reported.

"We'll have to go with that, where is it exactly, James?" Adam asked.

"It's coming right into the square." James replied.

"All right boys, keep up the fire but don't deter it. We want that sucker to get as close as possible to the center of the square." Adam ordered.

"I'm so glad you said 'fire.'" Sven cackled over the radio. Adam wasn't sure how to react when he heard a continuous roar of burning flame as Sven set his modified incinerator from dropping pellets to simply hosing out fuel. In the end, Adam decided to disregard it.

Carl could feel the heat radiating off his minigun and he was almost certain that his grip and finger felt frozen to the position they were in. Still, he kept up the fire. He realized that this massive lake of flesh and blood did not belong on this earth, as broken as it was. He was also surprised that it simply absorbed the storm of rounds he was pouring into it. The large piles of spent casings all around him simply showed that he had never fired this many rounds all at once ever before in his life.

James did not even bother to steady his rifle. Deciding he wanted to take a try at striking down the monster himself, he simply made sure the gun was pointed directly at what appeared to be the creature's brain and fired. He watched bewildered as the heavy bolt tore through the flesh, struck the white of bone and then ricocheted right off. Nothing, absolutely nothing, had been able to withstand, much less glance off, one of his heavy bolts before.

"Sven, those explosives of yours better work." James stated, not taking his eyes from his scope.

"It's time to move, guys." Sven announced. Both Carl and James signaled their confusion through the radio. Sven practically dragged James away from the window as he moved towards the door.

"We have to leave these buildings, they might go down in the explosion and that creature is already headed towards the center. We got to leave if we don't want to get caught in the fire. You'd be crazier than me to stay here." Sven explained. James simply followed him while Carl picked up a box of ammo before disconnecting himself from the rest and rushing down the escape hatch.

"All right Adam, we're headed towards your point. Stand by for detonation." James announced.

"Good. Hope this works." Adam muttered.

–

A sentry at the House kept his lonely vigil in the night. The shift had just started and yet again everyone at the building had heard the disturbing sounds of war that had echoed across the quiet city. They did not know what the source of the noises were but all the people on the security force were certainly nervous and on high alert. Perhaps that was why this sentry noticed something that he had never quite seen before.

Right in front of the gate, a large rat scratched and pawed at the metal, shuffling back and forth along it as if looking for a hole or weak spot it could go through. Since his position was some distance away, the watchman simply waited, looking to see how this curious sight would play itself out. The rat continued to paw at the metal for a bit before it stopped and sat on its haunches. In doing so, it looked up for a moment. Tentatively, it placed both its front paws on the metal and felt around for a bit. The next thing the sentry knew, the rat was suddenly able to haul itself up along the metal, exploiting imperfections in the steel. It was an arduous task but before a minute could be counted the rodent squeaked in happy victory, having made it on top of the gate before cautiously digging its claws in the metal again and sliding down the front into freedom. To the watchman, it was probably strangest thing he had ever seen.

As for the rat, its clever little mind was still trying to figure out an even stranger fact. How in the world did its friend, that human girl, managed to get past the gate before him without anyone noticing at all?

–

"We're all hear?" Adam asked just as the three other regulators appeared from different directions. Carl counted them off before nodding quickly.

"Looks like there's all of us here." the giant stated.

"All right. Sven, you may have the honor." Adam submitted, motioning towards the pyromanic. Grinning, Sven took out the remote detonator for the central ring of wrecks. Hopefully, this would ignite the median circle of cars which would then set off the entire square. Sven switched the remote on.

"All right, here's to a the brightest fireworks that's ever lit up New York." Sven announced and tapped the red button.

Nothing happened.

Sven hit the button again, this time with more force.

Silence.

"Okay...that's why there's the fail safe. I believe I have that." Adam gulped and pulled out a similar remote from his coat. The regulators shifted around nervously.

"Sorry, Sven." Adam forced chuckled as he prepared to hit the weapon.

"Ah, I'm just here for the big bang." Sven dismissed.

"Right." Adam said before drawing a deep breath and pressing the button.

They heard the last thing they wanted to hear which was the horrifying _lack_ of an explosion.

"Of course, now would be the perfect time for the wires to fail!" Sven cried in exasperation.

"Can you rewire them quickly?!" Adam asked in panic.

"No time!" Sven replied.

"Oh crap, can't we just detonate one of the cars ourselves?" Carl offered.

"I don't know if that will work, some of them are not spaced that close together." Sven replied, their hearts racing.

"Well, we got to get back and hold it off no matter what." James stated, shouldering his rail rifle again. Adam cursed.

"Well come on, lets go and get ourselves killed!" Adam shouted, already running back for the buildings.

James and Sven quickly made it back to their former station while Carl and Adam simply started firing at it from the ground level, the prospect of holding back this whole sea of evil seemed to be such a futile task given the sheer mass of I., The whole thing was at least several city blocks wide in radius.

Up on the building, James continued to empty rounds into what he thought was the brain but he simply saw the dense bolts ludicrously bounce off heavy, mutated conglomerate of bone. Aiming for what he decided was the pulsating heart simply did nothing. He concluded to his dismay that there was too much protective tissue around the actual heart.

"Sven, the heart and brain is sitting over the central military truck, the one in the middle of the square." James announced.

"Yes?" Sven asked, not sure where James was going with it.

"Use your fat man, drop a mini-nuke on it. It might set off the truck which will produce a large enough explosion to detonate the whole square." James announced.

"That might kill us all here while we're still in the building, James." Sven replied.

"All right, we step back. Can you hit it from there?" James demanded.

"I can try." Sven simply answered.

"All right, everyone, fall back again!" James reported over the radio.

Several tense moments later, ignoring the layer of clear mucus that was starting to form at the bottom of the buildings, James, Adam, Carl and Sven pressed their backs on what was the far side of the buildings furthest from the square. Sven stepped into the pathway of the alley and craned his fat man and missile launcher at the highest angle he could manage.

"Let's hope this works." Sven muttered and the contraption choked as it spat the heavy ordnance. Sven immediately rolled behind the walls again as the men stopped their ears.

The explosion they heard was woefully short of "earth shattering." Curious and confused, the men stuck their head around the walls to see the reason.

"I don't believe it..." Adam muttered.

"That can't be right." James said in disbelief.

"That...that thing simply...absorbed the round!" Carl cried.

Sure enough, the massive central organ sat with a blackened mark and bare, bleached bones but it had prevented the nuke from detonating the truck by simply acting as a fleshy barrier.

"A-Adam...what are we going to do?" Carl asked.

"I think we're technically screwed." James stated.

"What are we going to do?" Carl re-questioned. Adam simply swallowed hard.

"Get back to your posts. We're going to hold the line here." Adam replied quietly.

"I just hit it with a mini-nuke and it deflected the blast. We are not going to kill this thing!" Sven cried.

"We have no choice, now get back up and start shooting and thinking. If we don't stop it here then we might as well die because this thing will then eat all of New York!" Adam shouted.

Their faces grim, they rushed forward to what they were certain would be their final steps.

–

Sitting above a large, evil heart, a twisted mind contemplated what it was feeling, lacking eyes but having a heightened sense of its surroundings through touch and its neural net. It could feel the pin prick fire of four antagonists; broken, former memories telling its consciousness that these were probably the four called "Liberators." A curious title given. A courageous and stupid, stupid group of men.

The beast had let them attack and as it had concluded, their weapons had done nothing. Their plan had come to naught as its oozing muscle broke off the radio transmitters from the cars. They could not hope to believe that this collection of minds would be so stupid as to not notice that. No, it had let them make their move.

Now it was its turn and it intended to play with them a bit. It suspected that for these so called Liberators, the end would not be able to come fast enough.


	30. Chapter 30

"_And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'" - Revelation 21:4-5_

"_Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense..." - Sura 3:185a, from the most respected Qur'an_

"_Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world." - From the Talmud_

_

* * *

  
_

As he fired his SMG into the night, Adam thought back on that fateful decision, that deciding assignment, that brought him here. The flashes of light from the bullets played with his mind. From the time Francis saved him from that deathclaw, to his impromptu recruitment with the old man's plasma rifle jammed up his nose to his retraining and re-education under the geezer and now here he was fighting something from nightmares. He wondered how the old man had set him on this path. Something told him he owed something to the aging regulator and yet he owed him nothing.

"We're not doing anything except throwing up rounds." Carl called over the headsets, despite being right next to Adam. The sound of brass from the giant's minigun clashed with the popping of flesh from the rounds.

"Everyone, aim for that central mass, that's where it's heart and mind is. Concentrate all fire on it." James reported, a high pitch scream from his rifle followed by the deflection of yet another bolt only seemed to herald the conclusion of the sniper's directive. Regardless, they followed.

"I'm going to see if I can light up some of the wrecks. We may still have a chance." Sven reported, his face sweating from the heat despite his blast helmet. The pyromaniac had mixed feelings about this. If he were to accidentally set off a chain reaction, would he again kill all of his friends? Would he again survive only by a miracle? Metaphorically reaching out, the man slammed down those feelings of guilt. With every blast of his incinerator he told himself that if there was going to be an explosion, it was going to kill him too. The most important thing at the moment was generating this explosion.

Desperate, Sven aimed for the any vehicle he could see in the flood of blood and inflamed, pink flesh and yet all he could see were the roofs of vehicles embedded in the hellish mire. Even if he were able to land a direct hit with the burning fluid, and he did on more than one occasion, there was no way the fuel could burn through the flesh and hit the engines in time. Eventually, he gave up and aimed for the central organic system again. They might as well try to scrub the world of its nuclear waste with only damp rags.

"Uh guys...we got some issues..." Carl reported through the radio.

"What's the problem?" James asked.

"It's starting to grow...mutant, things, people!" Carl called, his voice growing more desperate. James glanced down just several yards from the buildings' wall where the forms of super mutants were emerging from the biological stew. Like the ones they saw before, they lacked eyes and their forms were devoid features but they appeared more muscular, fragile and yet indestructible.

And James could not help but notice that they were dangerously close to the building he and Sven were hold up in.

"Aw, crud!"

James immediately starting launching the bolts into the creature's mutant thralls. Usually, a bolt to the head simply reduced the thralls back into the stew from where they came and James was starting to wonder if he might be able to fend them off.

"Need help?" Sven called.

"I think I can stop them." James replied.

The two regulators could not know that a tendril had already snaked into an open window below their feet on the bottom floor.

Carl gritted his teeth as his battlefield clearer literally cut one of the thralls in half and immediately started chewing into others. The rapid firing bullets popped and shattered upon impact and often shredded whatever was in the path of the fragments that broke on the flesh.

"We're going to get steamrolled!" Carl shouted. Adam did not answer but he knew Carl was right. He needed to consult his trusty human computer.

"James, you got a plan up there?" Adam called over the radio.

"What?" James radioed back.

"We need a plan on how to beat this thing. We can't keep going on like this." Adam replied.

"I seriously have no- HOLY CRAP! SVEN-" James' transmission cut off abruptly. Carl and Adam's eyes widened as dark thoughts suddenly went through their heads. Adam panicked as he continued to spray with his gun, calling through his transmission.

"Sven, James! Answer me you, idiots! What's going on!?" Adam yelled.

"Oh, I'm going to shred every one of you demons back to hell!" Carl screamed at the thralls, his guns still firing.

Up in the building, James had belatedly seen a thrall emerging from the steps. His warning to Sven was too late and the fleshy creature beat the pyromaniac with such force, the man was thrown across the room and behind James. The marksman quickly replaced his rail rifle to his back and rushed to draw his laser rifle.

To his great surprise, the thrall seemed to sprout a massive extension that was tipped with what was probably once a shoulder blade of a large creature. Now it made a crude scythe.

The weapon smashed through his energy weapon, also snaring his sawed off shotgun and medicine satchel right off his arm, their broken wrecks flung to the wall. James did not know which loss he took more heavily.

"Oh, you are going to die!" James yelled and drew his short blade.

The two locked weapons, James rushed in and thrust hard, stabbing the creature into the chest. Unfortunately, the thrall was unaffected, lacking anything too vital there. Instead, greatly frustrated, it threw James off, the regulator struggling to gain his bearings. The thrall raised the bladed extension and swung down. James knew that his sidestep was too slow.

Sven, his mind addled by the blow from the impact, was suddenly filled with the most agonized scream he had ever heard come from James. Raising his shotgun, his mouth dropped behind his helmet at what he saw. The thrall's bloodied extension was locked with James' short blade but laying next to the regulator's foot...

Oh heavens, what that James' _arm_?

"J-James..." Sven croaked, holding up his shotgun. Agonized, James simply leaped back and Sven promptly fired the weapon. The thrall simply disintegrated, its midsection and head blasted clean off. Pained and horrified, James numbly found what was left of the gauze and wadding he had and tried to plug the bloodied stump that came off his shoulder. He could not believe it but he had lost his entire left arm. He turned to Sven, his face quickly losing its color.

"It's...it's time to get out of here." James announced hoarsely before shakily re-sheathing his blade, walking up to the downed pyromaniac and dragging him by his coat. This was incredibly difficult now that he only had his right arm. The medic only knew that it was time to leave.

Back outside, Adam and Carl decided they could not take it anymore. Adam looked over his giant friend and stated what he believed was the right thing to do.

"We got to look for them." Adam stated.

"Right, I'll cover you." Carl nodded.

"We just need to hurry-"

Adam and Carl had not noticed it but a tendril had been forming just under the epidermis of the mass of tissues. Readied, the newly formed appendage sprang out at high speed and headed towards its closest target. Finding it, it coiled around the hapless man and sprung him high into the air. That unfortunate victim was Adam.

Terribly thrown off, Adam cursed, not liking the thought of being waved around like a toy at a rather high distance off the ground. Carl stared up at him horrified.

"Carl, you got to get away, just leave me!" Adam yelled.

"No can do!" Carl called back.

"Just go! Leave m- AIIIIEEEEE!!"

Adam was certain he felt his ribcage collapse. The wicked tentacle was applying tremendous pressure on him.

"Hang on, buddy!" Carl yelled, his minigun firing again, this time in the hopes of severing the whole tentacle.

"C-Carl...just go!" Adam yelled through the pain.

"I ain't got nowhere to go anymore! This is the end of the river for me!" Carl yelled, still firing his gun.

It immediately stopped when another tendril shot out and ripped the weapon from his hands. The new appendage also roughly knocked him, slamming him against a building wall. The regulator felt something break inside him and a sudden pain washed through him but for the moment he ignored it. Angered, Carl reached behind his back and drew out his sledge, slamming hard on the tendril, smashing its spine and rendering it useless. A new look of determination on his face, Carl strode over towards the tentacle that still held Adam. The man was still crying out in pain.

_"My friends..." _a familiar voice spoke suddenly into their ears. From where ever they were, the regulators stopped, that familiar voice in their heads.

"Evelyn?" Carl asked in bewilderment. James also stopped in his tracks, unable to see Sven's reaction behind the blast helmet but his already shell shocked eyes became wider.

"Evelyn? How did you get here, little girl?" James whispered.

_"I am doing this so you have a chance. You are hurt. I can save you. All of you." _

James peered through the alleyway, having already made it to the ground level still dragging Sven.

"Evelyn...don't..." James said mindlessly. He could see her small, fragile form headed straight towards that sea from hell.

_"This is the only way. This is the only way." _Evelyn assured them. James weakly reached a hand to stop her while on the other side of the building, both Carl and Adam could only stare in perfect horror. None of them were in a position to stop her.

_"You have shown me that there is still love in this world. Now let me do what I can to show you that I love you. I am very much grateful to all of you. Please tell my friend Julia that I love her. Take care of the furry creature. Please, remember me always..." _

"Evelyn, what are you doing?!" Carl yelled.

Evelyn understood that there was no turning back and yet she had long ago embraced this decision. She had to save her friends. Besides, what would be better than to give hope, another chance, to a world that seemed broken and in desperate need of repair? Faintly, stepping ever closer to the monster, she smiled. Evelyn, the girl who had defied the regulators' understanding and yet all the while had won their love and affections in such a short time, stepped into the mire and disappeared.

Torn, Carl looked back at his friend who was suspended above him in unspeakable agony. He looked back at where Evelyn had vanished. He stared back at Adam. Angry tears forming at his eyes, the giant let the hammer fall.

Again, and again, and again.

Adam suddenly felt the tentacle weaken under him and almost gracefully, quite unexpectedly, the broken regulator felt the appendage loosen its grip around him and dropped him onto Carl's shoulder. Panting, Carl's wild eyes looked back at the creature's central system still perched on the military truck.

"I'm letting go! I am no monster!" Carl roared.

Adam, through the haze of pain, watched in awe as Carl swung his arm back and threw the hammer like a giant discus. The hammer, a distant speck by now, slammed into what was probably the cardiovascular system and then disappeared under the muscle.

"Time to go look for our friends." Carl stated.

He suddenly felt very weak.

–

"_**Who...who are you...you who are able to protect your consciousness. None have done this before."**_

"_I am one to tell you that your hostile intents end here."_

"_**Who are you to compete against my power? Who are you, but a weak thing?"**_

"_In your arrogance you have overlooked something important. I've protected my mind thus far and before I pass, I can compete with yours. I can wage war on your intents."_

"_**What can you possibly hope to accomplish? Your friends are dead or dying, you can do nothing to stop me. Soon, all will be mine."**_

"_You are a liar, a coward to cover your weakness and now it will be exposed. A building of bitterness and brokenness, now all of the boards of your ruined house falls here. You were never truly able to seamlessly stitch the minds together into a perfect whole. I can now exploit that. I can stop you."_

…

And quite unexpectedly, the creature started to lose control of some functions in its body to something else.

–

The four regulators unexpectedly found each other in the streets, all of them in pain, weak and realizing that the torrent of losses was piling on too high. James dragging Sven, Carl carrying Adam over his shoulder, the men simply stared at each other when they first ran into each other. As if by fortune, both parties had wandered further away from the buildings and were now some distance down the street that led into the square.

"What...do we do?" Carl asked.

"I...I don't know anymore." Adam groaned.

"We...lost everything." James murmured, his face ashen. Suddenly, they heard a guttural moan followed by a thunderous bump. Looking over, it took a moment to process what exactly they had seen. James immediately reacted as fast as his blood starved body could. He positioned Sven in the center of the street so that he could face back towards the square.

"Sven, Sven you with me? Wake up, you see that?" James demanded, tapping the man's helmet before pointing where the creature had parked its central system. The mind and heart of the monster had fallen from its perch, exposing the abandoned truck once more.

"Sven, if you can hit that with your launcher...this is our last chance." James stated. Weakly, Sven nodded.

"Help me pick up my launcher." Sven asked. James did his best with his remaining arm to position the weapon on his friend's shoulder while Sven reached into his pack and pulled out a rather strange looking missile.

"I've been saving this for such an occasion. I removed the radioactive warhead from a mini-nuke, taking off all its excess weight leaving only the explosives. I planted them on a missile with an engine I retrofitted. This is a radioactive missile." Sven explained.

"H-how did you even do this...even in your unfit mind?" Adam asked weakly with a smile.

"Granted...it was a sneaky voice in my head that told me to. I didn't like him either." Sven replied as he readied the weapon.

"I want you all around me. That thing blows up and get us...I want to be with my friends this time. I'm not taking the people I love out again." Sven stated. The men assured him they were close by. Sven nodded.

"Here's to you guys." Sven whispered to friends long gone by.

The flash of smoke hissed by their side and screamed towards its target. True to its aim, it rocketed towards its destination. A broken, twisted mind sat in angered horror. A pure spirit closed its eyes and greeted its martyrdom.

And in an instance, the four men watched as the distant square light up into a towering pillar of fire that reached high into the sky. The night turned to day, the men knew that the evil that had threatened their city had been purified and the Liberators had left a beacon in the sky.

New York City could have hope again.

–

So long ago, the sins of man rained a radioactive darkness through the world. New York City, like every other place, was not spared. Plunged into fear, evil and depravity, a few angels walked its streets with every generation, hoping, living, for a better world. For redemption. When a new flood of evil gathered and showed its ugly head, Grace had shown that there were still a few good souls who were willing to do what was right at no gain to their own, only for the simple fact that it was the right thing to do. A single pure soul sacrificed herself, showing the greatest love in laying down her life for her friends.

A single drop of good can stop a flood of evil.

And on this night, some two hundred years ago, crowds would gather into the streets and celebrate another mark of the passing of time. The passing of another year. Four men desperately limping through the roads could not know it, but two centuries ago, amid the bright lights and crowds of joy, people would sing a tune long since forgotten. They sang that the old things would no longer be remembered, never brought to memory for days long gone by.

Days long gone by, old memories, ghosts that still whispered in these empty streets. The fire that still burned behind them and gave a little light, it was all Adam could watch through his half closed eyes as he too thought on days long gone by. His weary mind turned to a love he wondered if he might be seeing soon. Under him, he could feel Carl starting to slow down. Behind him, James was becoming more and more uncoordinated, not even aware of his failing faculties as his numb mind ignored what was happening. Behind James, no one could tell if Sven had simply lost consciousness or if his limp body had gave up his ghost long ago. Distantly, Sven could hear Carl starting to sing a song he had learned from his childhood.

"Some glad morning when this life is over...I'll fly away...To that home on God's celestial shore...I'll fly away. I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away. When I die, hallelujah by and by...I'll fly away..."

Adam was too tired to tell him to shut up. Usually it was James' job to keep them from talking about death when they were wounded but Adam saw that their medic was too devastated himself. They had all been wounded and now they were cutting it close. Adam was finding it harder to breathe.

"Oh how glad and happy when we meet! I'll fly away...No more cold iron shackles on my feet...I'll fly away..."

Adam tried to open his mouth, to call to James. He had to check on Sven, see if the man was still awake. This was no time for any of them to fall asleep. Gosh, why wouldn't his lungs work? Too bad James lost that medicine bag and his arm. Somehow, that didn't seem to matter anymore.

"...Just a few more weary days and then...I'll...fly away...To a land where...joy will never end...I'll...fly away..."

Adam suddenly felt his friend's legs give way under him and the giant simply fell forward, landing on the ground. Adam cried out in pain again as he simply rolled off to the side, his lungs shooting up in flames again. Looking to the side, Adam saw in his dimming vision that James had let go of Sven, the pyromaniac simply falling limp to the ground, propped up by his backpack and equipment. James' his blank eyes seem to show a mind that had overloaded and then shut down. Swaying, James simply collapsed to the pavement. Adam could not find the strength to call to any of them. Looking to the sky, his memory turned to an old friend, a gentle face who he had spent many hours staring into . Faint white specks fell from the heavens and then there was a dull realization that Adam could feel each flake sting him. Here it was, the end of the frost season and they just had to get trapped outside on what would probably be the last frost fall. Adam could not be bothered with this, his mind resting on old memories, feeling himself going to sleep with a pleasant warmth in his heart. He feel asleep with a familiar loving voice talking to him. He had missed her so much.

The memories of days long gone by.

* * *

_Author's note: _

_Yes, that was a mild reference to "Auld Lang Syne." _

_I do not own "I'll Fly Away." That was written by Albert E. Brumely._

_And yes, I was really excited to post this chapter, hence the lightning writing and posting_


	31. Chapter 31

"_Give me your tired, your poor,_

_Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,_

_The wretched refuse of your teeming shore._

_Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me._

_I lift my lamp beside the golden door."_

_-Inscription on the Statue of Liberty_

_

* * *

  
_

The rat slowly stalked along the floor, its nose tickling the air as it tried to gather in all the numerous, interesting smells. There were only so many it could track at a single time but on this occasion it decided it was going to wait on a particular one. The particles in the air shifted and the rat lifted its beady eyes towards the light. Being as large as a dog, the rat sat on its haunches to look over a bed to watch the prone occupant laying on the mattress. The rodent rested its head on the edge of the cushion and pressed its nose into the unconscious man. The sleeping man stirred from the moist, fuzzy disturbance.

"Rat, leave him alone." a soft voice scolded. The rat only backed off a bit but continued to sit and watch the prone man. He suddenly opened his eyes.

"Adam, you're awake!"

The regulator raised his eyes skyward, seeming to be in a bit of shock.

"Uh, Kail. Where am I?" Adam asked, his eyes darting around.

"You're back at the House. You've been out for a day." Kail explained.

"But...how did we get here? The guys passed out and it started to frost and-" Kail nodded and cut in to further explain.

"The Brotherhood of Steel had to evacuate the _Defiance._ We decided to seek refuge at the House. On the way there, Rat found us and led us to you guys. It had only started to frost fall for a few minutes and we already had some medical supplies. We applied the proper Rad-X and stabilized you guys until we could fully patch you up here at the House. You will have to wait till your ribs set as most of them were broken and you also suffered from a collapsed lung." Kail explained.

"But Carl, James, Sven..." Adam trailed off.

"Carl is all right. He just had some internal bleeding and a bruise rib, a couple bruised organs as well but he's actually awake. He's getting lunch." Kail chuckled. As if on cue, Carl stepped into the room, a plate of mirelurk cakes stacked several patties high.

"Good to see you awake, Adam. Here Rat." Carl tossed the rodent a cake, to which the fuzzy mammal squeaked happily and started nibbling it in enjoyment. Adam looked over to see Marilyn approaching him.

"Adam." Marilyn simply stated. Adam looked up at her and smiled.

"Sorry, didn't want to tell you that I would be coming back, but now I'm here." Adam chuckled nervously. Marilyn sat down on the bed next to him and stroked his hair.

"I kept your caps for you." she admitted, dropping the sizable bag next to him.

"You shouldn't have. You should have bought something." Adam chided.

"Well, I wanted your permission first." Marilyn smiled.

"Ah, I got plenty in there." Adam chuckled. Suddenly, the rodent stuck its head into the bag and then exited from the room towards the direction of The View, a shiny object glinting in its snout.

"Why that little thief!" Adam cried. Suddenly, they heard a small groan and Kail was immediately off the bed to tend to whoever was waking up.

"James, can you hear me? James?" the Scribe asked softly. The marksman's eyes popped open before he groaned again.

"James, are you all right?" Kail asked.

"...I'm apparently not dead." James replied groggily. Kail giggled softly.

"James, can you move your left arm for me?" the scribe asked. James shot her a rather unamused look.

"Julia, I lost my left-" James was cut off by a sudden mechanical whir and to his great shock, a metal arm that appeared slightly skeletal raised from his side.

"What...the..." James blathered, staring in awe at the machine that followed his commands.

"A couple years back, with the Brotherhood sustaining so many lost limbs, we cut a deal with a placed called the Commonwealth. They supplied us with these bionic prosthetics. They're not the real thing of course and the sensors just can't compare to real nerves but there are pressure sensors in the fingers so you'll at least get some feeling on how much force you're applying. It hooks up to your spinal cord though it may take a few days for you to develop the full capacity of motion." Kail explained. James continued to watch his new arm flex and the mechanical fingers open and close.

"Are you okay with this? I know I jumped the gun and all ordering one to be pulled from the _Defiance_ but...well, I thought-" James cut Kail off when the mechanical hand brushed some of the stray wisps of hair out of her face.

"Thanks." James simply stated.

"You're welcome." the Scribe replied and started to get up. She stopped again when she felt the cold metal fingers wrap around her hand. Curiously, she watched as he brought her hand over so he could hold it in his right, human one.

"I have a feeling I'm going to be stuck here for awhile, so I want you to think on this proposition before something else life threatening happens." James stated. Kail tilted her head, listening to him curiously.

"What's that?"

"You've done a lot for me. Well, okay, you got me off the mentats and you gave me a robotic arm. A friend of mine told me that women like you don't come around very often. I wish I could ask this more eloquently and in a better place but there's no time now like the present. Could you think on the idea of a relationship?" James asked sheepishly.

"I'm not going to think on that, James." Kail replied flatly.

"Oh." James sputtered, starting to feel rather foolish.

"I want you to recover first, then we can go on a date." the scribe replied with a smile. The two stared at each other for a moment.

"Seriously, how long were you going to wait to ask that?" Kail asked teasingly.

"Truth be told, it was my only regret before I passed out." James answered.

"Oh shoot, where's Sven?" Adam suddenly asked in panic, looking around in alarm. James' eyes also widened.

"Please tell me he made it." James pleaded quietly.

"Don't worry, he's perfectly all right." a gruff voice answered. Everyone looked over to see two other duster clad men who just entered the room.

"Mark, Francis? What are you two doing here and where is Sven then?" Adam demanded.

"Oh Sven? He's been going crazy wiring explosives for the past day now. He should be working in his lab at the moment." Mark shrugged nonchalantly.

"He only had a concussion." Kail explained.

"Like that boy needs another lump on his head." James groaned. Francis meanwhile lit a cigarette.

"Now, you two ladies aren't going to be forcing some of my best men into retirement now, are you? This is probably the best crew I got on my payroll." Francis demanded. Both Kail and Marilyn shook their heads to the negative. Francis nodded. Adam watched the old man with quiet amusement. He had not changed one bit, same grumpy swagger, his plasma rifle resting on his back like it belonged there and a cigarette to hang in his mouth.

"So what brought you out of the shack, old man?" Adam asked, trying to sit up in bed.

"Word came through of what you did. I'll be impressed once I fully believe it myself. I understand you wimps will be needing a bit of time to recover. In that period, Mark and I will be taking over for you guys. When you Liberators are fit to go, Mark and I will head back. New York City is yours and I intend to keep it that way." Francis announced.

"Really? Does this mean we get a raise?" Adam asked.

"No." Francis shot. Adam grumbled.

"Well, that's enough chit chat. Come on Mark, justice never sleeps." Francis commanded and the two men stepped out the door. A few seconds later, they heard approaching footsteps only to see Sven stick his head through the door.

"Did anyone by any chance count how many cars exploded back at the square? That might help me answer how many mini-nukes make a full nuke."

–

_...One week later..._

On the streets of a place that was called New York City, several figures walk to a square that still was blackened from a recent catastrophe that devastated it. The sound of a hammer can be heard until it finally falls silent and six people and one rodent step back to survey a simple metal cross that was secured into the pavement. Across the marker is a simple name: Evelyn. They stand in silence for a moment, remembering a simple life that accomplished an extraordinary task and would not soon be forgotten. Even the rodent seemed to find its way of paying its respects, placing a single paw on the marker for a brief time before stepping away.

Further up on the Hudson, an old man takes a cigarette out of his mouth and tosses it into the river. He knows he does not have much time left and the years have burned wrinkles into his skin. For many long years he sat in the loneliness of his shed, wondering if he would only parcel out payment for the dead, never even seeing the glimpse of a dream he had, a vision of a better world.

The man feels a little better these days. He still knows he'll never see this dream but perhaps he found a new generation who'll carry that dream on. Maybe, just maybe, the dream will never die.

Yes, the world still suffers from the nuclear devastation that happened two hundred years ago when the bombs fell. Yes, there is a lot of evil in this world now, too many broken pieces, too much mud and grime. It makes living a pristine life hard but it isn't impossible.

And yes, the pieces can be put together, even if only in part. There are a few lives left out here in the wastes that try to make it a better place. So long as people live, there will be injustices, there will be pain and there will be dangers. However, there will also always be the fallen angels among us. They beat their wings and brush away the dust and sometimes they find that small, precious diamond in the sand because even the diamond was once a speck of dust. Even the broken and imperfect coal, the insignificant dust can pray for grace and be redeemed into something of immeasurable worth.

* * *

_Authors closings notes:_

_First off, Tedsini, sorry about the sudden rescue at the end :p _

_But seriously, thanks to all those who have been an encouragement with your reviews. Dusters quickly became a pleasure for me to write and I started to enjoy each of the characters. In fact, if there is a skilled artist among you, I wouldn't mind a drawing or your interpretative sketch of the characters. Or just the four guys, or any collection. I probably can't pay you but you'll have my gratitude and respect. _

_The original characters in Dusters, with the exception of Lowell Morgan, are from my creative thought. Although I wouldn't mind if any of you wanted them to make an appearance in a story you may be writing, I only ask that you send credit to where it is due. _

_If any of you wondered about the many sayings before the chapter, I was curious as to what some of the wiser literature throughout our history would compare in contrast to a post-apocalyptic world. I claim no expertise on any of the faiths so I apologize if I took any out of context. _

_I also apologize for any confusion that may have happened with "Julia" and "Kail" being the same person. Kail originally was going to be a minor character but as she developed she eventually came into more prominence and then I was stuck in a rather odd position of introducing her as "Kail" after deciding her first name should be Julia. _

_More detail explanation for themes or characters can be discussed via message. _

_Regardless, thanks once again for all those who have enjoyed, helped (you know who you are) and commented on the ride. Who knows, I might even draft the guys and gals again for another ride. _

_Oh who am I kidding, I'm already brainstorming another plot. _


End file.
